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Raonic determined to make up for past failure

Milos Raonic wants to avoid the disappointment he suffered in the 2014 Wimbledon semi-final when he faces Andy Murray in the Australian Open last four.

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Milos Raonic is determined to avoid the disappointment he suffered in the 2014 Wimbledon semi-final when he faces Andy Murray in the last four of the Australian Open after outlasting Gael Monfils.

Raonic - the 13th seed - became the first Canadian man to reach the semis at Melbourne Park with a 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4 win over Monfils on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old's only other appearance in a grand slam semi-final came at the All England Club in 2014.

On that day, Raonic was swept aside by 17-time major winner Roger Federer in three sets and the former world number four is determined to make amends against second seed Murray on Friday.

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"It's a very positive thing if you look at the big picture. Right now in this moment alone it's a great opportunity for me," Raonic said when asked about his return to a slam semi-final.

"I had a little bit of a disappointing semi-final two years ago now, and sort of just want to change that story around and give myself another go with more experience and where I feel like I'm a better player than I was two years ago."

Fit again after a 2015 season hampered by foot and back problems, Raonic - who stunned 2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka en route to the quarters - is unbeaten this year after beating Federer in the Brisbane International final.

"There are sort of six monumental moments for this year that I really want to put a lot of the attention to: the four being the slams, the Olympics, and Toronto [the Rogers Cup] is a big one for me," Raonic added.

"I think it's about really making sure that even those weeks, those tournaments, like I am here, improving each day.

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"I think I've taken a lot of big steps forward since I've been healthy and able to make the most of hard work and the grit and effort I put in on court.

"I think that's pretty much it. Constant progress. That constant progress which I feel like I've been hitting the mark on for a long period of time, disregarding my injury, is what I look for every single day."

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