LONDON – Not many players can walk onto their practice court and see two former World No. 1 players hitting with each other. For Milos Raonic, that was his reality on Saturday at Aorangi Park, Wimbledon's practice facility.

Carlos Moya, hired by Raonic at the start of the season, was warming up with John McEnroe, hired three weeks ago. Later in the session, the two coaches played a tiebreaker while an amused Raonic watched from the sideline. The 57-year-old McEnroe rued some missed opportunities, ultimately succumbing to the younger Moya, 39.

"There was definitely a bit of chatter at dinner last night about that," Raonic said when asked about the friendly battle between his mentors. "It was nice to see it. They had a good time with it. They're both very competitive. I think any player that was at the top of their sport has to be very competitive and it's hard to let that go."

Raonic is as competitive as they come and his desire to fulfill his potential led him to seek out McEnroe and add another voice to a team that already included Moya and Riccardo Piatti, who isn't on site at Wimbledon.

"It has been positive and fun at the same time," Raonic said of his partnership with McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon champion. "It's something that's helped me a lot. He's just sort of enforced and given me a little bit more direction on what I want to do in being aggressive, coming in more, positioning myself in situations where it's on my terms and I'm putting my opponent off balance and in uncomfortable positions."

In his only grass-court tune-up event for Wimbledon, Raonic made a spirited run to the finals at the Queen's Club, ultimately losing to Andy Murray in three sets. During the series of matches, Raonic seemed to be more expressive on court, smiling more and in general showing a bit more emotion than usual. That, he confirms, was the result of McEnroe's influence.

"He said, 'Out there, it's important that you don't just go about the things, it's important, being a big guy and obviously having that big serve, let the opponents feel your presence,' so I think that's part of what I was trying to incorporate during the last tournament and will hopefully continue to do so here."

During a conference call with reporters, McEnroe explained that during his playing career, he regrets not enjoying the ride more.

"I played with intensity, but sometimes it was negative intensity, which sometimes gets a little old," McEnroe said. "I think if there was one aspect of Roger Federer's career that I'm jealous of is that it seemed like he really loved being out there, whereas people like myself or (Pete) Sampras, most people really, are filled with angst, because it is intense and you don't want to let down and all these other reasons you're sort of brought up to believe is the case. Obviously, Milos has felt the best way for him to perform is to sort of keep an even keel and not show much emotion, go about it. I don't think he hired me so I would say, 'Look, keep exactly the same way.' I believe he'll be a better player when he's able to express himself more positively."

Raonic, known for his stoic nature on court, has been surprised by just how positive McEnroe is.

"He has to be one of the more positive people when it comes to being on court," Raonic said. "Even throughout matches, he doesn't say one negative thing, he's always enforcing the positive, that's probably the thing that took me back the most."

That positivity is evident on the practice court. On Saturday, it started raining midway through the workout and the staff wanted to put the cover on court, but Raonic waved them off, egged on by McEnroe. Eventually, Team Raonic was ordered off the court by the All England Club staff. They left smiling broadly.
 
"As different as we are, I think, down under we're quite the same," Raonic said of McEnroe. "He's obviously a lot more outspoken than I am, but we think the same way, we agree on the way we see things. There's a lot of similarities there so I think he really understands how to talk to me and sort of point things out to me."

Raonic seems to have a bit of a swagger as he prepares to start his Wimbledon campaign on Monday against Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta, who's No. 45 in the ATP rankings and has never won a competitive match on grass (0-4).

"I feel good," Raonic said. "I feel like I'm playing some of my best tennis. It's been awhile since I played around that level I played in Australia (during a run to the semifinals). I feel like I'm getting there right now and I feel like I can even take it further. Things are coming together nicely."

Raonic expects great things from himself and isn't afraid to say it. During a submission to the Players' Tribune that was published during the French Open, Raonic dubbed himself the most underrated player in the game.

"Maybe because I think of myself highly and maybe there's a lot more things I think I can achieve that probably people don't think I will," he explained, "but I think I can give myself a chance to achieve those things."

Well, Raonic certainty isn't flying under the radar this year as the McEnroe alliance has generated a lot of buzz and the British tabloids are lapping it up. One photo spread in the Daily Mirror featured a shirtless Raonic serving. He was asked if he got any advice from girlfriend Danielle Knudson, a model and fellow Canadian, about the shoot.

"Baby oil always helps," he said with a smile. "Yeah, baby oil always does a lot of magic."

Raonic seems to be heeding McEnroe's call to enjoy the ride.

"I feel like I've put in a lot of good work," Raonic said about his confidence level at the moment. "I think that gives you sort of a step forward and hopefully it will pay off for me and really make a difference in this championship."