One of the most talked-about elements in sports is momentum.  It may swing.  It may be lost.  It may be gained.  While the first aim of an athlete is to grab the momentum, the true key to success is being able to build upon it once it has been gained.  That is exactly what Milos Ranoic and Ernests Gulbis will be looking to do with Wimbledon looming just around the corner.

Both Raonic and Gulbis are coming into this grass season on the heels of a solid campaign on the clay.  Raonic advanced to the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo and the semifinals in Rome, where he nearly upended Novak Djokovic.  He also reached the first major quarterfinal of his career at Roland Garros.  As great as Raonic’s clay campaign was, however, Gulbis arguably enjoyed an even better span.  The Latvian earned a spot in the semifinals of Barcelona and quarterfinals of Madrid, and he picked up the title in Nice.  But his most impressive achievement came at Roland Garros, where he booked his maiden Grand Slam semifinal berth with victories over Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych before falling to Djokovic.  Not surprisingly, the success that Raonic and Gulbis have enjoyed the last several weeks has paid dividends, with both rising to career-high rankings of No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.

Unfortunately for the Canadian and the Latvian, the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the English Channel.  Already both have suffered early losses in their Wimbledon tune-up events, although based on the pair’s past history that is par for the course.  Neither man has ever played well in the traditional Wimbledon warm-ups, nor has the All England Club itself ever been a particularly happy hunting ground.  Raonic has failed to advance beyond the second round in each of his appearances at SW19, while only once has Gulbis managed to earn a place in the third round. This is a trend that both men will be keen to reverse if they hope to continue their ascent up the rankings.

Theoretically, Raonic and Gulbis have games that should translate relatively well to grass, despite the fact that the lawns no longer play as fast as they did in previous eras.  After all, given their success on the clay, the slower grass courts should in no way be the stumbling block that they have historically proven to be for the duo.  Both are reasonably tall players who list the serve, something that is generally rewarded on the grass, as one of their favorite shots.  The Canadian also loves to hit the overhead, which is another shot that should serve him well on the lawns.  Additionally, Raonic and Gublis are more than capable of hitting big off both wings.  Their groundstrokes should penetrate the grass and produce their share of forced errors or outright winners.

Given their respective skill sets, then, the odds are that their struggles on grass have a lot more to do with what is going on between the ears than their actual playing styles. However, Raonic and Gulbis appear to be turning a corner in that area as well.  Raonic, who has buckled under the expectations that came with being named the ATP Newcomer of the Year in 2011, has started to consistently post better results and hang in the tough matches.  Similarly, Gulbis has shown more fight.  He has increasingly stated that he knows he has been guilty of not putting forth his best effort and is now committed to getting the most out of his career.  If both men can continue to believe in their games and their potential to be at the apex of the sport, the rest of the field had best be on its toes. 

Maintaining that belief is essential. With any luck, Raonic and Gulbis will be able to do that by logging a respectable run at Wimbledon.  Hard courts are their favorite surface, so if they can find a way to continue their momentum through this brief period on grass, they could both be poised for a big summer.  With the slight shifting that has been going on in the men’s game, these are definitely two men to watch in the coming months.