Top seed Andy Roddick has won through to the Brisbane International semifinals after beating France’s Richard Gasquet 6-3 7-6(5) on Friday night.
The top seed certainly did not look restricted as he sent down 16 aces to blast Gasquet out of the quarterfinals.
In his first tournament since October due to his troublesome knee, world No.7 Roddick booked a semifinal showdown with fourth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych on Saturday.
World No.20 Berdych prevailed 7-6(4) 2-6 7-6(3) over Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci earlier on Friday in a match lasting more than two-and-a-half hours.
Roddick hasn’t shied away from his work at Brisbane – he also contests a men’s doubles semifinal with compatriot James Blake on Saturday.
But the former US Open champion said he had given his support crew a vote and it was decided they preserve his knee by limiting the number of surfaces it is exposed to this year.
“I am not playing Davis Cup this year, [but] I am not retiring from Davis Cup,” Roddick said on Friday night.
“I am not going to be one of those guys who plays when it is convenient, when it is close to home and on a good surface for them.
“In Davis Cup my view is that you decide at the beginning of the year whether you are going to go through everything or not.
“Sometimes you have to listen to your body and do what is smart even though it is not an easy decision in the short term.”
He said there had been “zero drama” with Davis Cup coach Patrick McEnroe.
While wary of his knee, there did not seem to be any chinks in his armour ahead of his Australian Open assault.
Certainly Roddick felt he was on track ahead of the year’s first Grand Slam.
“I wanted to come here and play well, get better with each match and get matches in – the goal is to be prepared for Melbourne,” Roddick said.
“And I feel I like that has been accomplished for the most part.”
Roddick said he had shifted into another gear against former world No.7 Gasquet.
“I knew I had to come out and play a lot more aggressively than I have had so far this tournament,” he said.
Gasquet – in his first tournament since officially being cleared of a positive drug test – appeared a little shellshocked after Roddick’s serving clinic.
“He served unbelievable, I had to earn every point from him,” he said.
“I played my game, but not with service. I think I could have served better, because compared to his serve it is not the same for sure.”
Defending champion Radek Stepanek will take on Frenchman Gael Monfils in the other semifinal on Saturday.