THERE is something odd about Milos Raonic, and not just the fact that he wears an orange sleeve, orange shoes, socks and mouthguard during matches.

The Canadian, who will play Andy Murray in his first Australian Open semi-final after completing a mauling of Frenchman Gael Monfils yesterday, is not your average tennis player.

While most players hang around the players’ lounge even on their days off, Raonic has been doing his best to get away from it all, something he has had trouble doing in the past.

“I can be very obsessive when it comes to the process and what I need to do for the next match,” said the 25-year-old, who took himself off to see an art exhibition in Melbourne the day before playing Monfils.

“I am constantly considering things. That was definitely a nice escape from myself and I got to participate in something that I really enjoy and a passion that's definitely grown for me over the last two years, I would say.

“I saw a lot of Warhol exhibits before. It was more the Weiwei installations I wanted to see, especially the Infinite Bicycle one that was in the centre of the museum.

“It was magnificent in many ways. I think that whatever iteration you see of Andy Warhol's life has sort of been redefined over many years due to his unfortunate passing but Weiwei's story is constantly building and you're hearing something different.”

You would be hard pushed to find another player speak in such terms about art but Raonic is a different beast, as his dubious fashion sense would suggest.

But after a difficult 2015, in which he got injured, Raonic appears to have improved in every department, especially on returns and movement around the court.

His serve remains a colossus, as Monfils discovered to his cost, but he is also going to the net far more frequently, leaving him more confident in his ability.

“I think I know better how to use my groundstrokes,” he said. “But at the same time, because I'm getting to the ball in better position, it's easier.

“I don't feel like I'm getting hustled around the court that much. I feel like I can find my way back. I don't have to go for big shots on the run. I can sort of neutralise a little bit better.

“At the end of the day, as well as I do that, that's never going to be what wins me matches. It's about doing what I can to get ahead in points and be the aggressor and take it to my opponents.”

A coaching switch from Ivan Ljubicic, who is now with Roger Federer, to former world No.1 Carlos Moya, appears to be working nicely and Raonic said the Spaniard had an effect on and off the court.

“I think Carlos is going to take on more of the task of making me more efficient with my game when I have the tools, how to use them, how to go about matches with certain players,” he said.

“He's played a lot of these guys, especially the ones you'll play in the latter stages of tournaments.

“He’s just going to give me that peace of mind, efficiency, and maybe process of work throughout tournaments. I think that's what I'm looking to gain from him the most.”

Raonic has won three of his six meetings with Murray and though the Scot is a great returner, he plans to continue to attack, when it’s the right time.

“It's three out of five sets,” he said. “A lot can happen. It's about when you can step up, take advantage and there are different ways to go about that.”