Juan Martin del Potro and Milos Raonic Reach Final Four at BNP Paribas Open
(March 16, 2018) No. 8 seed Juan Martin del Potro and No. 32 seed Milos Raonic will face off in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
Del Potro extended his current win streak to nine in a row, beating Philipp Kohlschreiber 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday in Indian Wells.
“It wasn’t an easy match as everybody see,” said the Argentine. “But I was waiting my chance to find the way of the game, and I did after the first set. And then my games improve a little bit, and I find the way of my returns. I play more aggressive with my two-handed backhands, and I play more down the line. I think that was the big key of the — big change of the match.”
Del Potro talked about almost quitting tennis when he was dealing with multiple wrist surgeries.
“I’m not thinking about quit tennis now,” he said to media, “but I was close to quit tennis because I made three surgeries on my wrist, and I couldn’t fix the problem. I got depressed at home for a long while, and I wasn’t happy doing the effort to recovery my wrist.
“In that moment of my life, I was trying to find a different way of my life. That’s what I was thinking about, quit tennis.
“But thanks God I’m here and healthy, and I’m playing tennis again. I’m in the top 10 again. I have too much love from the crowd, for my fans, and I’m doing this because I love it.”
Milos Raonic on the comeback trail, from multiple injuries prevented Sam Querrey from reaching the Top Ten, defeating the American 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
Querrey took a quick lead in the first set, leading 5-2, when Raonic ran off four straight games.
“I think sort of that, you know, back up against the wall was the last chance I had in the first set, and I wasn’t putting any balls in,” said the 27-year-old Canadian. “I made him play a few, and he sort of started a little bit to just doubt himself, because he wasn’t in any rhythm, either.
“Played a poor first game, and I think it was, like, 15 minutes later, it’s all of a sudden 5-4, him serving for it. I just made him have to beat me there, and he sort of wasn’t able to do so.”
“Well, a lot of things were very good. I just have to — same thing. I have to be disciplined with myself to put a good level consistently throughout, from start to end. I was a little bit up and down too much, and if I don’t get lucky like I did at the end of that first set, it’s a very different storyline.
“So it’s important, I’m happy about it, but still got a long ways to go, a lot of things to keep working on and doing better.”
The former Wimbledon finalist talked about all of his injuries over the past year: “Right adductor, left glut at the beginning of the year. Then I tore my hamstring beginning of February.
“After Wimbledon I had to have wrist surgery. Through the summer I tried to play a few events, tried to treat the issue. That wasn’t possible. I had surgery just before the US Open. Was hoping to start my offseason in the early weeks of October. No, early weeks of November.
“And then in November I had — I hurt my knee. I hurt my meniscus, so I couldn’t play for six weeks. Started training just before the Australian Open, and I’m here today.”
The Canadian was a finalist in 2016 at Indian Wells, losing to Novak Djokovic. Raonic leads in the head-to-head against del Potro 2-1
