'Beating Roger Federer at Wimbledon was...', says former Top 10

Kevin Anderson is 34, the same age as Rafael Nadal. The South African, however, turned pro in 2007, six years after the Spanish phenomenon made its debut in the major circuit. 2018 was undoubtedly the best season of Anderson's career, able to reach the final at Wimbledon after eliminating his majesty Roger Federer in a comeback. The former world number 5 won an epic semi-final against John Isner, a huge effort that prevented him from being competitive in the last act against Novak Djokovic. Conquering the Vienna tournament a few months later, the current Player Council chairman qualified for the ATP Finals for the first time in his career. A long series of physical problems have affected Kevin's performance over the past year and a half, forcing him to leave the field for many months. Speaking on the podcast hosted by MatchPoint Canada, Anderson revealed that he was inspired by Nadal in the early years of his career.

Anderson on his favorite moments

"Rafael Nadal has been somebody who has motivated me to keep working hard. He was having amazing success at 16/ 17 and I turned pro a few years later. It's a bit of an adjustment for me going from watching him to being a competitor. He has been a pretty standout player, not only in our generation. But he will go down as one of the best in the history of the sport," Kevin Anderson said. But the 34-year-old went on to admit that if he were pushed to choose one specific memory, he would pick either his win over Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2018 or the marathon against John Isner (at the same tournament). "The Slam finals were very special. But if I was pressed to choose one specific match, it would be at Wimbledon - either beating Roger Federer at Wimbledon or the really long match against John Isner in the semis was a pretty great memory for me," Anderson said. "The new generation is coming up and really establishing themselves. We saw Dominic Thiem break through at the US Open. He is younger, (although) I wouldn't say he is a young player. But there is an exciting batch of younger players. There is a pretty interesting balance now between the young group of players and those who have been on the tour for a number of years," Anderson said. After posting a 10-10 record on the ATP tour this season, the South African plans to play a full schedule in 2021.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3kqKQAU