The 2011 season saw the newest in Canadian stars make a torrential rise in the rankings from No. 156 reaching a high of No. 25 in five months thanks in part to a trip to the fourth round in Melbourne. His first career title came in San Jose where he defeated defending champion Fernando Verdasco, following it up with an appearance in the final of Memphis where he was narrowly edged by Andy Roddick.

Despite critics saying that his hard serving game would not translate well to the clay, Raonic put together solid results with his best coming in Estoril where he reached the semifinal. At 6 feet 5 inches tall, many expected incredible results given the Canadian’s serve and forehand, but a slip on the grass at Wimbledon would prove to hinder his remarkable season.

After recovering from hip surgery that forced Raonic to miss the US Open, he returned to finish out the season including a trip to the semifinals in Stockholm. He ended the year ranked No. 31, continuing to use the same Wilson K-Blade that he has been using for years.

With the newest line of Wilson racquets on the horizon, you may have seen another one of Wilson young players featuring something new if you watched Kei Nishikori in Basel a few weeks ago, it would make sense for the young Canadian to take a look at what the newest has to offer. With a well-equipped Pro Room, there is little doubt that Wilson can create something to help Raonic ascend the rankings higher next year.

In recent pictures, Raonic was seen testing out some racquets that were painted all black, presumably looking for something to replace his long-discontinued frame. With the upcoming introduction of the AmpliFeel technology, which uses basalt and graphite planks integrated into the handle pallet to transmit a pure feel, perhaps Raonic will be making a debut in 2012 with a new racquet in hand.