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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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With the French Open officially in the rearview mirror, the tennis world is now turning its attention to the grass-court season. Wimbledon starts on Monday, July 3, but before the first ball is struck at the All England Club, Canada's top players have some questions that need to be answered.

1. How will Raonic handle the pressure?

Milos Raonic lost in the fourth round of the French Open while the three men directly behind him in the ATP Tour rankings – Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori – all advanced further. Now the sixth-ranked Canadian embarks on a crucial grass-court campaign. It’s a surface suited to his game and one he's thrived on before. Last year, Raonic made it to final at Queen's and Wimbledon losing to Andy Murray both times. Raonic has good memories from those runs, but also plenty of rankings points to defend. “I would imagine he feels a little bit of pressure,” said Tennis Channel analyst Lindsay Davenport. “But sometimes you step on your favourite surface and all the sudden you're so excited. Any player who likes quick surfaces, the day your clay-court season ends it's a great feeling. You're so happy. I went through that.”

 2. Can Raonic stay healthy? 

Raonic needs to start generating some momentum in a season defined by injury issues, including a hamstring problem that sidelined him for more than a month. Perhaps the greatest positive from Roland Garros was that Raonic left Paris healthy despite playing five consecutive weeks on tour. Along the way the 26-year-old made his first clay-court final in Istanbul (lost to Cilic) and the semi-finals in Lyon (lost to Tomas Berdych while playing with a high fever).

 3. What will Raonic's team look like moving forward? 

Shortly after departing the French Open, Raonic announced he was no longer working with coach Richard Krajicek, a former Wimbledon champion. The relationship ended after only half a season together. The Dutchman wasn't in Paris in what Raonic said was a pre-planned arrangement. Riccardo Piatti, Raonic's other coach, accompanied him to Roland Garros. Early this season, Raonic also parted with long-time strength and conditioning coach Dalibor Sirola, so this has been a year of transition in a couple ways.

Carlos Moya, who coached Raonic last season, left his camp at the end of last year and joined Rafael Nadal's team. John McEnroe coached Raonic at Wimbledon last year, and while the two remain friendly, there is no longer a formal working relationship.

4. Is Bouchard's momentum gone? 

It is hard to get a good read on the state of Genie Bouchard's game right now. She seemed to turn a corner in Madrid, posting a dramatic win over Maria Sharapova and then ousting world No. 1 Angelique Kerber. But an ankle injury sustained on the eve of Roland Garros left her compromised ahead of the season's second slam. She gutted out one win, but went down meekly in the second round against Anastasija Sevastova. Can she regain the momentum during the grass-court season? Grass is her favourite surface and the ankle should be healed in time for Wimbledon.

5. Is Högstedt the missing piece? 

Everyone seems to have a theory about why Bouchard has been unable to reclaim her top form after her breakthrough 2014 season. Andre Agassi, who spoke to Bouchard a couple times when she trained in Las Vegas during the off-season, believes the 23-year-old needs a consistent voice to create stability in her game. “I enjoyed talking tennis with her,” Agassi said. “She's a girl who needs to understand her game a little bit better and when she does I think the results can settle down.”

The voice Bouchard trusts right now is veteran coach Thomas Högstedt. The Swede, who previously worked with Sharapova among others, sees great potential in Bouchard. “It's a step-by-step process,” Högstedt said before the French Open began. “She played unbelievably well in Madrid. I think she played one of the best matches in years in women's tennis against Sharapova and then followed that up by losing just three games against the No. 1 in the world. She's had three tough years, but I think, step by step, she’ll be ready to make some big marks on the tennis world.”

6. Will the lawsuit be a distraction?

Bouchard's legal action against the USTA over her slip and fall at the 2015 U.S. Open continues to make its way through the court system. There has been a nasty war of words between the two sides in the case, so it doesn't appear like a settlement is imminent. “I definitely, you know, suffered a lot after that incident,” Bouchard said after her first-round win in Paris. “The lawsuit is still ongoing. But it does not bother me. It's what I want to do.” Bouchard's lawyer, Benedict Morelli, believes a trial could start as early as this fall.

7. Can Pospisil keep climbing? 

Vasek Pospisil, who is 1-16 on clay in his ATP career, decided to sit out the French Open, opting for rest at home. Before the break, the British Columbia native won the Busan Open Challenger in Korea, a result that allowed him to move back into the top 100 in the rankings and gain direct entry into Wimbledon. Pospisil will now look to continue to push up the rankings – he's currently No. 83 – with a strong grass-court season. His campaign has started well, as Pospisil won two qualifying matches to make it into the main draw at the Ricoh Open in s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. He also received a favourable draw, facing Tallon Griekspoor in the first round. The Dutch wildcard is ranked No. 282.

8. Can Dabrowski build off her historic French Open? 

Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski teamed up with India's Rohan Bopanna to win the mixed doubles title in Paris becoming the first Canadian woman to ever win a grand slam (excluding juniors). It is only the latest highlight in a breakout season, which has seen Dabrowski win her first Premier title (Miami Open with Yifan Xu) and also crack the top 20 of the rankings for the first time. 

The 25-year-old has focused more on doubles during this stage of her career and says she's learned to better handle the emotional rollercoaster of playing professional tennis.

9. How much does Nestor have left in the tank? 

Daniel Nestor lost in the first round in both doubles (with France's Fabrice Martin) and mixed doubles (with Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva) at this year's French Open and is struggling to find his top level this season (11-14 record). The 44-year-old insists he'll keep playing as long as his ranking, currently No. 20, allows him to get into the top events. But the Toronto native appears to be getting more reflective as the end grows closer. He said he would consider getting involved in coaching once his playing days are over.

10. Which junior star will breakthrough first? 

Canada's strong run at the junior level continued in Paris as Bianca Andreescu made the quarterfinals in singles and teamed with Carson Branstine to win the doubles title. The pair also won the Australian Open junior doubles trophy. 

Andreescu, who lost in the first round of French Open qualifying, will get another crack at making her first main draw of a major at Wimbledon qualifying. Denis Shapovalov, the Wimbledon junior champ last year, will be looking to do likewise after also falling in the opening round of qualifying at Roland Garros. 

Montreal's Françoise Abanda qualified for the French Open and then won her first ever main-draw match. As a result she will rocket 53 spots up the rankings to a career high of 142. Canada's rising stars are knocking on the door. Who will be the next one to breakthrough?