Kevin Anderson started this week seeing his name at a number ten of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career, and he is now 11th in the Emirates ATP Race to London.
Anderson This Year
The new ranking is a fantastic reward for Anderson who has won one title this season in Winston-Salem (defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 7-5) and capped off his best performance in a Grand Slam after he defeated Andy Murray to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open. Another big moment for the Johannesburg born player this season was against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon where he led the world number one two sets to love in the fourth round of the Championships, but in the end, he couldn't close it out as nightfall and an inspired performance from the Serbian lifted Djokovic to the quarters.
In addition, the 29-year-old player has reached two more finals in Memphis and Queens; he was beaten by Kei Nishikori and Andy Murray respectively. Overall, Anderson has a 3-8 record in finals as he was champion in his hometown event in Johannesburg in 2011 and in Delray Beach in 2012.
Anderson has been a solidly consistent player throughout his career. He turned professional in 2007 and is 6'8''. His serves are massively important to his game but he has also showed brilliant flashes with his backhand. This was a fantastic summer from him because of his title in Winston-Salem and his performances in the majors.
Despite the great results the South African player is still working to improve. As his wife Kelsey Anderson said in a special featuring with The Changeover, Kevin is a hardworking and talented player and the key of his success has been that he enjoys the process of getting ready for a tournament, and not just the court work.
Despite the great results, the South African is still looking to improve. His wife, Kelsey Anderson talked about him. She said, “Kevin genuinely loves the everyday work that goes into being a world-class competitor. He revels in finding new ways to improve his performance, whether physical, mental or strategic. Even the tiniest decisions are made from the perspective of, ‘is this going to help me be the best tennis player I can be?’ And it is brilliant”.
“The obsession with the minutiae has not only allowed Kevin to continue to improve, but it has allowed him to enjoy every moment of it. It means that he has personal fulfillment from his efforts, independent of his on-court results”.
He may not be the most talented player, but he has shown the best of his abilities in the last few months. He has taken a massive step forward with his mental fortitude, and this spot in the top 10 is a reward for all of his effort.
Now with his new ranking, Anderson is the first South African player to reach the ATP top 10 since Wayne Ferreira did back in 1997 and now has joined Ferreira, Eric Sturgess, Cliff Drysdale, Kevin Curren and Johan Kriek in the club of South African players who have been among the elite.