About 30 minutes after his systematic elimination of Nicolas Almagro, fourth-seeded Milos Raonic made it a point not to get carried away by the result.
“I think it's another match tomorrow. There is a big difference between being a winner and a finalist. I will go out tomorrow and focus on my own game, especially my service.”
The tall Canadian, who will meet Janko Tipsarevic in the summit clash on Sunday, felt several aspects of his game fell in place. “I think I did a lot of things well. I struggled a little strategically and was going too much to one side. But it came out fine in the end.”
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Raonic, a first-time finalist at the Aircel Chennai Open, also reiterated his comfort level on hard-court surfaces. “I feel really comfortable on hard-courts having grown up playing on them. The 21-year-old spoke about why it was important to put rankings and numbers into perspective. “Points come and go. They last for 52 weeks. If you think too much about that, it gives you a headache.
“What matters is how I do at the end of the year. I can't predict where I will be at the end of the year but if I show progress and development, the ranking will keep moving up.”
Earlier, Almagro didn't seem too despondent with his loss — instead choosing to give credit to his big-serving opponent — in a blink-and-you-miss press conference.
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“I am happy with my tennis. This result is now past me. I need to think later about the match. Raonic had many chances to win and he served well. He is a good player.”