IN THE milliseconds before he serves, Andy Roddick does something balletic with his feet. He takes two dainty steps and points his leading toe before delivering the ultimate paradox: a booming, ground-shaking strike of nuclear intensity. It is a curious preamble to the most intimidating of shots and the sole redeeming feature of a game based on power and brute strength.

And it has taken him from underachiever to front-runner for the Wimbledon title. Is Andy Roddick the real deal or an upmarket version of Greg Rusedski? It’s hard to be sure.

Paradorn Srichaphan could not derail him, as hard as he tried. Certainly he had his chance at the start of the third set but came up short, belying his early promise by closing the match like a tired circus act. Roddick, seeded No 5, will know that the 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 verdict was not as conclusive as it sounds.

To be fair, it was a difficult match for Roddick. Srichaphan swung throughout like an angry heavyweight, landing some big blows from the baseline. But Roddick knew that he was stronger, sensed that his opponent would punch himself out. Perhaps that is why he came across as a submissive presence, rarely taking the initiative, preferring to wait for the glory-or-bust bravura of his opponent.

The strategy worked. Srichaphan hit a purple patch in the second set to level the contest, then threatened menacingly at the start of the third. In the opening game, Roddick staved off a break point with an ace. Srichaphan served out for 1-1, then fashioned four break points to seize the initiative.

This was the heart of the match and Srichaphan was found wanting. On two of those break points, and after Roddick had missed both times with his first serve, Srichaphan patted forehand returns tamely into the net. Disheartened, the Thai player soon dropped serve with a flurry of unforced errors, and the game was up.

From that moment, Roddick opened his shoulders and imposed himself in a manner befitting of his lofty status. However, he had looked uncomfortable with the match in the balance. Even Brad Gilbert, his new coach, has said that he has what it takes to win Wimbledon — adding that Roddick, still 20, would be considerably better five years from now.

Roddick will need to serve at exalted levels to prevail this year. His forehand is another sonic weapon but his backhand leaves much to be desired. It was disappointing, too, that his standard dipped in tandem with that of Srichaphan.

Roddick admitted as much. “He (Srichaphan) definitely could have taken the match over had he got one of those breaks,” the American said. “That was a little bit to do with my play, a little bit to do with his. But I held and he started missing balls. I didn’t do much to break him, but I don’t mind that.”

They could almost have been the words of Gilbert, author of the book, Winning Ugly, and that is what Roddick must learn to do to breach the divide in grand-slam events. Despite his tender years, it has been so long since big things were predicted that he has flirted with missing out altogether. When his first serve deserted him, he showed maturity in riding the storm. And as the match progressed, he recognised Srichaphan’s fallibility in dealing with heavy slice.

Roddick can certainly expect plenty of action on his backhand wing, starting with his quarter-final against Jonas Bjorkman, a canny Swede, who thrives on returning big serves. Roddick is in the unusual position of being the last surviving American male in a grand-slam tournament. Whether his shoulders are broad enough to carry the load will largely be down to his serve. Good days, bad days: he must learn to cope with them all.