Art enthusiast Raonic: 'It's kind of been a nice escape'

Milos Raonic is known for his booming serve and numerous on-court achievements, from reaching the 2016 Wimbledon final to climbing as high as No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings. But the Canadian is a multi-dimensional man with several hobbies outside of sport. One of the most intriguing is his interest in art.

In 2014, Raonic purchased his first piece, a Rashid Johnson black wax painting. Now he has “probably 20 to 30 pieces” and art has become an important part of his life.

“I really do cherish it,” Raonic said of his Johnson painting. “I have never been in the business or have any interest in buying and selling art. For me, I just acquire the things I love. Many people see it as an investment. It's been a great investment for a lot of people and John [McEnroe] is an example of that. But for me, it's just been the stuff I enjoy and stuff that I know today, and in months and years, and hopefully a long time after that I'll be able to appreciate it.”

The 33-year-old has been interested in art and studying finance for years. But when he has been off the court due to injury struggles, the time away has allowed him to dig deeper.

“I just probably got a lot more intense and focused on it, because I had time,” Raonic said. “So whether that be from collecting and acquiring more art over the last three years to taking my studies in finance — and taking that part of my life a lot more seriously and just dedicating a lot more time to it when I have a chance — it's been a lot of fun for me.”

Both of Raonic’s parents are engineers and most of his family has focused on fields in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. But one relative made his mark in the art world.

“My great uncle Nikola Gvozdenovic is actually considered one of the great, if not the best artist to come from the former Yugoslavia,” Raonic said. “He was actually a professor at university. So a lot of the younger artists from Montenegro, he was their professor, and I've gotten to meet a couple of them over the years.”

When Raonic was younger, he was never really aware of the intricacies of art collecting and would just see what his great uncle was working on and be impressed when visiting.

“But you just wouldn't truly be able to appreciate it,” Raonic said. “I think over the years when I started travelling, I made some great friends, some of my closest friends to this day. And they were all in very different fields and grew up in very different cultural situations. And that just kind of made me appreciate it.

“One of my closest friends is an art dealer. His father is one of the greatest artists of his generation and has gone on to make some movies that have been up for Oscars. So I've had a whole other appreciation for that, which has been a treat to me because it's been an escape from a lot of the things. When I'm on the road, there's a lot of things you can go see. So it's kind of getting me stuff to do and it's made a lot of the tedious, repetitive travel a lot more enjoyable.”

Raonic is not the only player who has been connected to art. Former World No. 1 John McEnroe is one of the prime examples. More recently, Reilly Opelka has become interested in it.

According to Raonic, part of McEnroe’s fascination could have come from a matter of circumstance. The American is from New York, where art has been prominent. The late Vitas Gerulaitis, who reached World No. 3, would take McEnroe to galleries and introduce him to artists. McEnroe became hooked.

“After he stopped [playing], he had his own gallery for a moment that he tried to run. I think he still has the space. He uses it mostly for his own collection. He's owned some of the most important pieces of American artists,” Raonic said. “When I do see him and go over to his place you get to see an incredible collection on display.

“A lot of great artists have either come from New York, or passed through New York at some point, and the largest galleries are there. The best artists in the world want to be shown at those museums, want to be shown at those galleries. I think it's once you're placed there, you're inevitably going to cross paths with some pretty incredible talents.”

Opelka often has visited galleries and museums, and has become close friends with the likes of artist Friedrich Kunath.

“I think since he's come on Tour has gotten to know quite a few people in that space and has been collecting pretty avidly,” Raonic said. “I think he has an association or a deal with an art gallery out of Antwerp as well. He's been very focused on it in the sense that whenever he has an opportunity to do something in that space, I think he's always taking those opportunities, which is pretty incredible, I think.”

Raonic will face Sumit Nagal in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open Thursday and will rain down serves like artists do brushstrokes. He will hope to create his own masterpiece over the coming fortnight.