PARIS – What has surprised Carlos Moya the most about Milos Raonic? 

"How committed he is to his job," Moya says immediately. "He can spend 10 hours in the gym, doing (injury) prevention, practicing, playing. He's one of the most professional players I have ever seen."

Moya did some research on the 25-year-old before signing on to be his coach earlier this season. Raonic previously worked with another Spaniard, Galo Blanco, who is a friend of Moya's. 

"So, I knew a little bit about him, but it still surprised me how committed he is and how professional he is," Moya said. 

But sometimes that commitment borders on obsession. And that is where Moya's biggest impact may have been felt during his first few months on Team Raonic. 

"He's been very positive in every sense toward me," Raonic said, "even with the very polar opposite attitudes we have, he has rubbed off on me in a very positive way and made big impacts on my game and the way I go about things in between practices, in between matches and how I prepare and how I get myself ready to compete."

Not just "polar opposite," but "very polar opposite attitudes." What does Raonic mean by that? 

"He sort of takes things as they come and deals with them," the Thornhill, Ont. native said with a small smile. "I probably try to control things the way (I think) they should come."

Moya chuckles when told of Raonic's description. 

"Well, probably I help a little bit with that," Moya said. "I was very calm on court and he's very obsessed with the work. He's very committed to reach his goals, sometimes too much so it's good sometimes to stay a bit calm so he's improving with that."

Raonic's ultimate goal was tantalizingly within reach in January at the Australian Open when he reached the semifinals before an adductor injury felled him during a semifinal match against Andy Murray. It was the second time he reached that stage of a major having also done so at Wimbledon in 2014. 

Moya believes Raonic can get over the hump very soon. 

"The key for him is to be around No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 in the world and let's see what happens," Moya explained. "You never know when Novak Djokovic is going to drop his level. It's going to happen sooner or later and it's about being there."

Raonic is 0-7 against Djokovic losing 17 of the 18 sets played between them. But Raonic does own wins against all the other top players now including Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Murray and Rafael Nadal. 

"Milos has room to improve," Moya said. "He's 25, which is a great age for a tennis player. It's not like it used to be 20 years ago when you were 20, 21 and that was your best level. Now, it's different. So, he's at the perfect age."

Djokovic, Murray and Nadal are all 29, Wawrinka is 31 and Federer will turn 35 in August. 

"Milos is very mature now," Moya said, "and he's still growing as a player. He will have the chance to be there."

Raonic arrives in Paris for the season's second slam ranked No. 9 in the world and feeling like he's finally back to the level that allowed him to reach the final four Down Under. During that remarkable run to the semifinals, Raonic took down Wawrinka, a two-time slam winner. Fans and commentators alike marvelled at how his game had changed. The Canadian, perhaps best known for his big, booming serve, was moving forward in the court and moving better than ever before. 

"I think I've improved at the net, I think I improved my movement, I think I've improved the way I put pressure on my opponents and if you put it together in one vague, general description it would be looking to move forward much more," Raonic explained. 

But hard courts have been Raonic's best surface in his career. Is he ready to take another big step forward on clay? 

"Yeah, of course, he has the game," said Moya, the 1998 French Open winner. "His serve will be tough for the other guys on any surface and he has more time to return and build the point on clay so I'm sure he can do well here, why not?"

Moya excelled on clay during his playing days and his advice could prove invaluable to Raonic, who reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros two years ago, but missed last year's event due to foot surgery. 

"Yeah, he's helped me quite a bit on clay, but that wasn't the goal," Raonic said. "The goal was general improvement and he's helped me a lot with that and just the strides we've made forward in general will help me on clay, they will help me with this tournament. I feel like I'm really just starting to play my better tennis on clay. It takes a bit longer for me to find my game on clay, more than players who grew up on it or spent considerably more time on it than I did."

Moya will never forget what happened here in Paris when he won the title. 

"It was like yesterday," he said. "It was 18 years ago, but I remember perfectly what happened that week."

He hopes Raonic will one day have a similar special memory. 

"For sure he can get there," the 39-year-old Spaniard said. "He's very committed and he has the tools and the weapons to get there. He needs to be maybe a bit more consistent and we need to keep him injury free, that's the most important thing. We saw in Australia what his level can be. He beat good players and he almost beat Murray in the semifinals and after you get to the final you never know what can happen. He has the potential to be No. 1 and win slams. 

"The main reason I wanted to be his coach is because I saw he had a lot of potential. I hope I can help him to get there."