Milos Raonic believes he has the ability to end Roger Federer’s Wimbledon run in their upcoming semifinal clash.
The Canadian set up a meeting with the seven-time champion after overcoming Novak Djokovic’s conqueror, Sam Querrey, 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. During his four-set triumph, Raonic produced 13 aces and 58 winners.
Raonic now has the chance to get revenge on the Swiss player after losing to him in straight sets during his maiden Wimbledon semifinal in 2014.
“I look forward to it a lot. It’s definitely a great opportunity.” Raonic said about playing in his third grand slam semifinal.
“Two years have passed since I played him (Federer) here in the semifinals. I’m happy that I have another shot at him.”
At the start of this year, the world No.7 enjoyed a rare victory over the 34-year-old in the final of the Brisbane International. It was only the second time in his career that the 25-year-old has got the better of Federer and his first since the 2014 Paris Open.
Unlike his inexperience two years ago, Raonic is now beaming with confidence on the court due to a big improvement in his all-round game. Besides his electric serving, the 25-year-old moves around the court more freely compared to 2014 and moves to the net more often. This play lead to him reaching the final of the Aegon Championships shortly before the start of Wimbledon this year.
“I think from every aspect, I’ve improved.” He declared.
“I know what I need to do on the court better. I know how to sort of turn things around to get them on my terms. I know what I’m looking for. I know how to go about it, to try to get to that position as much as I can. And then when things aren’t going well, I know what things to look for to change.”
Facing the Swiss player on the grass will not be an easy mission for Raonic. Federer demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the greatest grass-court players of all time with his thrilling comeback against Marin Cilic. It is perhaps due to this reason why the Wimbledon title is the last thing on the Canadian’s mind.
“Two wins are quite far away.” Raonic said about edging closer to the Wimbledon title.
“I felt that two years ago. I’m not even in that stratosphere right now. I’m just focused on what I need to do for the semifinal.”
If Raonic was to triumph at SW19 this year, he would become the first Canadian player to win the grass-court major. A huge achievement for somebody who didn’t play his first match on the grass until the age of 17 at the 2008 Wimbledon Boys’ Championships.
