Shanghai: Make no mistake about it: Andy Roddick is here to win. Still, the Masters Cup should also make fine preparation for the Davis Cup final between the United States and Russia at the end of the month.

“Davis Cup is my top priority for this year,” Roddick said Saturday. “There’s only so many chances you have a crack at something that big. It’s such an honour.”

The American said he is fully recovered from bursitis in his heel that led him to drop out of recent tournaments in Madrid and Paris, sandwiched around a first-round loss in Lyon. He didn’t spend the time off relaxing, saying it provided an opportunity to work on building up his leg muscles.

“I’ve been hitting the ball as well as I can since the (US) Open,” said Roddick, dressed in a tuxedo over a dark blue Chinese silk shirt as part of the Masters Cup opening ceremonies. “The tricky part is getting that translated into a live match. You don’t know what you’re going to get.”        (AP)