The Canadian will fly into Abu Dhabi this week for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship and there’s every chance he could win it, given his potential.

Celebrating his 26th birthday today, Raonic has continued to climb since reaching the fourth round of the 2011 Australian Open as a qualifier, later claiming the ATP Newcomer of the Year award.

Today, he sits third in the world rankings – the highest place ever achieved by a Canadian man or woman.

In his eight years as a professional, he has broken national records, becoming the first Canadian man in the Open Era to reach the Australian Open last-four, the French Open quarterfinals, and the 2016 Wimbledon final.

Raonic has eight ATP World Tour titles to his name, all won on hard courts, with his most recent at the Brisbane International in January 2016.

Other birthdays on this day

1971: Duncan Ferguson, ex-striker who played for Everton and Newcastle United (45).

1979: Carson Palmer, American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals (37).

1983: Jesse Williams, American high jumper and former world champion (33).

1986: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaican sprint queen who won Olympic 100m gold in Beijing and London (30).