TENNIS 2014 ROLAND GARROS – 1st of June 2014. M. Raonic d. M. Granollers 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. An interview with Milos Raonic
Q. Can we safely say you’re keeping your level?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I’m playing good tennis, and I’m happy with that.
Q. What were you most happy with today?
MILOS RAONIC: Just execution. I think I played important moments well.
There was a few moments where I’d be up quite handily on my serve, and I’d sort of drift away for a little bit, and then but when I came down to the wire I was playing those moments well.
Q. The fact you’re playing so well from the baseline, rallying so well, but you’re also pulling off scoop forehands and passing shots and drop volleys and all that. Does that come from being confident with your ground game, as well?
MILOS RAONIC: I’m just well, the scoops, I don’t know what those are. I have been working a lot at my net game. I come in quite a bit, so things are bound to get better if I put myself in that situation.
Q. Are you surprised to be doing so well on clay? I mean, in your game, what do you do differently when you play on clay compared to hard court, for instance?
MILOS RAONIC: Am I surprised? No, I wouldn’t say so. I feel like I could do well on clay, and so does my team. I think the biggest difference I have made this year is not really making too much of a difference when I have come to the clay.
Just more of an approach, knowing more balls will come back, but trying to stay close, not going too far back, and all these kind of things. I have tried to sort of keep that, I was doing it on hard courts, and it’s been working out well for me.
Q. Your first quarterfinal in a Grand Slam, what does that mean?
MILOS RAONIC: It’s a good thing. If you asked me would I have ever thought that it would probably be, the first one would come at the French Open, I probably would not have answered that way, but I’m happy about it. There is a lot of good things sort of that come from it, and a lot of good things I have been doing.
Unfortunate things I have faced this year, and I have been able to overcome a lot of things. I’m very happy with the level I’m playing, and I think it’s just showing in the results. I think that’s just a consequence of all the work I have been putting in.
Q. Do you think the slow conditions help you with your game? I mean, I know you hit a lot of winners. Does the fact it’s slow help you to have more time to set up your shots?
MILOS RAONIC: I still prefer when it’s warm, sunny, and moving quickly obviously. But I have learned how to deal with the slower conditions a lot better. I have learned how to sort of take the approach, what I need to do, and where the adjustments I need to make.
Whereas before I would definitely struggle depending on the weather. And I feel like it’s something I have just learned how to handle much better through experience.
Q. Can you elaborate on what Ljubicic and Piatti have brought to your game lately?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah. A lot of direction, and they have sat down with me and we have talked many, many times, whether it be after practices, after matches, during practice or over dinners, and just a lot of understanding of what I need to do to be more successful and how I need to go about things.
We have worked on a few things technically, but the biggest thing I think is a lot of direction on what I need to do in specific situations and how I need to approach and play throughout the match.
