Gilles Simon will play Ernests Gulbis on Friday for a place in the final of the Sydney International

Gilles Simon is  regaining confidence after a knee injury, will play Ernests Gulbis on Friday for a place in the final of the Sydney International. Simon, who was hindered by a enduring right knee injury for the first half of last year, wore down Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov in Thursday’s quarter-finals to set up a last-four shot at the third-seeded Latvian Gulbis.

Simon said he was now trusting his right knee after suffering chronic inflammation which forced him out of last year’s French Open.”I’m really happy to play without any pain, because a lot of time I had something,” Simon said.”You know one day you don’t feel good, you can’t do it; the day after it’s better, but you’re never really confident.”It’s now two months that I can work on it normally without thinking about it.”I’m not thinking any more about where I’m going to put my feet or anything. Just run.””The only thing I know is that I’m playing good. I’m moving very well on the court, as fast as I used to before. So I feel okay.””Yesterday’s match killed me physically,” he said.”It was really humid and I lost a lot of fluids, so I went straight to the hotel and I went to sleep.

I didn’t feel good.”This morning I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play, but at the start of the match I felt really good.”I will do some treatment. I will go to have a bath, ice massage, whatever it takes. I’m going to be okay tomorrow.”I just can’t go really long matches (but) don’t tell Simon.”