Baghdatis to play Brisbane International

Sydney :

Marcos Baghdatis confirmed on Wednesday he will compete in the Brisbane International in the lead-up to the Australian Open, but left in doubt whether he will defend his Sydney International title.

"I like Australia, I like playing there, so for sure it would be a great preparation," the Cypriot and world No. 18 said of the January 2-9 Brisbane event.

"And I think I will look forward to playing there."

Baghdatis, a crowd favourite Down Under ever since he reached the 2006 Australian Open final, was knocked out in the second round in his last showing in Brisbane but quickly bounced back to beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the final of the Sydney tournament.

He told Australian news agency AAP that how he played in Brisbane would influence whether he would contest the Sydney competition which begins on January 9.

"It depends on that moment and how many matches I will play in Brisbane and how much fatigue I will have on me," he said.

Baghdatis will join defending champion Andy Roddick at Brisbane.