Tennis Clubs of Canada staff with Milos Raonic and Liam Draxl at the Raonic Fundraiser on May 12, 2019. Photo courtesy of Tennis Clubs of Canada.
Milos Raonic helped a Canadian teenager turn his dream into a reality by raising $7,560 to support his budding tennis career.
Liam Draxl is currently No. 11 in the world junior rankings and is now storming into the Men’s ATP Tour. With his success as a junior, the rising tennis star is now following in the footsteps of Canadians such as Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, with his local tennis community supporting him every step of the way.
This includes Raonic, who organized a fundraiser for the 17-year-old on May 12, to help with the expenses he will have to face on tour. He worked with Tennis Clubs of Canada to kick-start this event and arranged a silent auction and a GoFundMe campaign that is blowing up with donations. Liam’s mother, Alison Draxl, expressed how grateful she is towards Raonic.
“It’s overwhelming for me, really. Milos has just done so much and saying thank you, for me, really isn’t even sufficient,” she said. “We’ve gotten to know him for the last two weeks and he’s an amazing person, and what he is doing for Liam is incredible.”
Tennis Clubs of Canada has also been a primary source of support for Liam ever since he first picked up a tennis racquet. He started playing at one of their clubs, Newmarket Winter Tennis Club, at the age of five and has been a meaningful member of the Tennis Clubs of Canada family since. His father, Brian Draxl, has also been a teaching professional there since 1995.
Raonic also has strong ties with the organization – as a long-time member of Blackmore Tennis Club throughout his junior years, he grew up with the same staff members with whom he’s built a strong connection with.
With this organization holding so much significance for both Raonic and Liam, it was decided that holding the fundraiser at Tennis Clubs of Canada’s newer facility, Marilyn Redvers Tennis Centre, would make the event even more meaningful.
The turnout was massive. Hundreds of members flooded the facility with eager faces to play with their Tennis Clubs of Canada heroes. For the first hour, recreational-level kids got a chance to be on court, while high performance kids got that opportunity in the second hour. Meanwhile, the coaching staff were running drills and hitting with members for both hours, while Raonic and Liam were bouncing from court-to-court.
Both of Liam’s parents said that through this fundraiser, the relationship between Raonic and their son has strengthened. Alison said that they had their first practice together recently and she hopes it is the first of many. From a coach’s perspective, Brian explained why this relationship is healthy for his son.
“Milos has had such a strong and positive influence on Liam because Liam’s goal since he was a young kid was to be a professional tennis player,” he said. “He has learned so much from him in terms of what it really takes to be a professional athlete and what is required to get there.”
He also said that Raonic has not only been an inspiration for his son, but for the entire tennis community. He expressed his gratitude towards him, thanking him for being a great ambassador for Canadian tennis.
“We’re just really grateful for everything he’s done – for us, for Tennis Clubs of Canada, for Liam, for the community – we just have such a strong tennis community and we can see that from the support today. Milos is certainly a huge part of what it has been able to be,” he said.
If you want to make a donation towards Liam’s professional tennis career, you can do so here.