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 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.
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.
"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.
"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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