One of the most precious commodities in tennis is momentum.  It can be elusive and fickle, difficult to obtain and equally hard to maintain.  But once it has been garnered, it can be used as a springboard to more momentum and greater success.  The best in the sport are experts at grabbing momentum and making it pay dividends, and that is what Milos Raonic will be looking to do when he takes to the court in Toronto.

The Canadian is currently enjoying the most successful season of his career.  He picked up the title in Brisbane to kick off his year, reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, the finals of Indian Wells, and regularly made the quarterfinals or better in most of the events that he has entered.  He then took things up a notch when proceedings moved to the grass, where he reached the finals of Queen's and broke new ground by reaching his first major final at Wimbledon.  He is a man who appears to be finally ready to deliver on all the promise so many saw in him a few years ago, and with his play this season, he is only raising those expectations.

With Raonic forming into the kind of competitor that looks like a legitimate Grand Slam contender, it is imperative that he not have a letdown immediately following his breakthrough at the All England Club.  The good news for him is that he has a decent chance at not only matching his level of play throughout this season but building on the momentum he earned at Wimbledon, by having a great tournament in Toronto.

One of the primary reasons that Raonic has a good chance there is that not only has his overall game improved, but he has a better understanding of his game.  His forehand and booming serve have always been formidable weapons, but now he uses them to even more devastating effect.  The backhand is solid rather than the obvious liability that it was when he made a title run in Canada three years ago, and he recognizes the necessity of taking risks on the return rather than merely blocking it back. 

Furthermore, he has grown increasingly competent at the net, and he is recognizing the most opportune times to employ his strengths to find greater success. Most importantly, though, is the byproduct of the improvements to his game, which is greater mental strength and belief.  It was on display when he completed a comeback from two sets down against David Goffin and in a five-set victory over Roger Federer on his way to the Wimbledon final. He no doubt hopes it will prove equally beneficial in the weeks to come.

Of course, Raonic's improved game is not the only reason he should be feeling optimistic about his odds in Toronto.  After all, he was always going to have a good chance in his adopted home country.  His big serve on the Canadian hard courts is a weapon no opponent likes to face and the home crowd is going to be firmly in his corner.  But 2016 affords him an even greater opportunity to take home the title because it is an Olympic year.  As a result of the added week of Olympic competition, a number of players are opting to skip Toronto, including Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal.  The diluted field in no way guarantees a victory for Raonic, but it has definitely left the door a little wider for him to achieve it.

Toronto represents a big week for the Canadian.  He is starting to separate himself from the pack just below the Big 4 and would dearly love to begin challenging those big guns for the grandest titles in the sport.  He would do himself a favor by continuing his good run of fortune with an impressive result next week. But only time will tell if he is ready to immediately embrace the new level of expectations that come with being a player many now believe to be a major title contender.