Kevin Anderson had the biggest match of his career in the recent Wimbledon final, becoming the first male player to feature in the decider under the South African flag since 1921. 
With over $13 million in career prize-money, he speaks to FORBES AFRICA about new goals.

South African Kevin Anderson’s run to the 2018 Wimbledon final cemented his reputation as one of the leading players in the game today as he produced a shot that reverberated around the world of tennis.
Deep into his remarkable five-set semi-final with American John Isner, Anderson conjured a moment that will be remembered at Wimbledon for years to come and embodied all you need to know about the lanky star as a person and a player.
The weary 32-year-old was knocked off his feet by a power serve from Isner, his racquet falling from his hand as he fell onto his backside.
But as the ball came back to him, he instinctively reached down and grabbed the racquet with his weaker left hand, produced an excellent forehand and won the point – a moment that appeared to knock the last bit of fight out of his opponent as Anderson claimed the fifth set 26-24 in the second longest singles match in tennis history.
Anderson had shown calmness under pressure, the ability to adapt when the moment seemed lost and the skill to make the shot with his weak hand.
<blockquote>&#8220;Tennis can take you places you might never have dreamed of. I am the living proof of that.&#8221;</blockquote>
It was all the culmination of hard work put in years earlier to get him to that point and would earn him the biggest match of his career in the Wimbledon final, the first male player to feature in the decider under the South African flag since 1921.
“My Mom and dad both played tennis and ever since I can remember, I had a racquet in my hand,” Anderson tells FORBES AFRICA days after his final loss to Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic.
“I used to play swing-ball with my brother Greg for hours and hours.”
Anderson and his brother were coached in their early years by their father Mark, who always demanded his sons gave their all on the court.
“He would push us pretty hard to keep on working and improving, but at the same time, I really embraced it. I can’t ever remember wishing that I was doing anything else than playing tennis. I loved the game as an eight-year-old and still do.
“There is just something about the game that appeals to me and I have always been a hard-worker, that aspect comes quite naturally. From a young age, you find out that the more time you spend practicing, the better you become.
“By the time I was 10, tennis was my main sport and I was already fully-focused on the game, training probably three hours every day and traveling all over South Africa to play in junior tournaments.”
Fast forward 22-odd years and that hard work would pay off in a big way for Anderson against Isner.
“I had elbow surgery at a pretty young age and instead of resting for three or four months, my father made me play left-handed. It was tough, but I would never have thought then all of that practice would help me into a Wimbledon final.”
Anderson admired former American great Pete Sampras growing up, although he admits they are nothing alike.
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“He was my role model, our games are totally different but I could admire even then his commitment to excellence.”
After completing his schooling at St Stithians College in Johannesburg, whose other notable alumni include Academy Award-winning director Gavin Hood, singer Dave Matthews and current South Africa cricketer Kagiso Rabada, Anderson won a scholarship to the University of Illinois in the United States.
“I knew I wanted to have a pro-tennis career and so it made sense early on to base myself in the United States, because it was so much cheaper to travel to tournaments than from South Africa.
“I also thought I could develop quicker in the college system as you have exposure to better players than you would face back home,” Anderson says, adding he was a regular competitor with Isner while the pair were in college.
It was also at college that he met his wife, Kelsey O&#8217;Neal, who he married in 2011. The couple share a home in Delray Beach, Florida.
He now has over $13 million in career prize-money and a career-best top-five ranking, but above all says he also has a burning desire to be an inspiration to others.
“Tennis is an individual sport, so sometimes it is tough to find that connection [with young people]. But I feel like one of the big impacts I can make in South Africa is as an inspiration to show what is possible. With hard work, dedication and drive, tennis can take you places you might never have dreamed of. I am the living proof of that.”
Anderson will now hope to go one better than his loss in the final of the US Open in 2017, also to Djokovic, when he plays the final Grand Slam of the season in August and September, and his Wimbledon adventure has given him the confidence to believe he can do so.
“That is two Grand Slam finals in a year now and although I did not win either, it feels like it is really close,” he says.
“I know I can do it and it is now about setting new goals and challenges for myself.
“I want to keep on playing for as long as I can. I feel like I can still improve a lot as a player and that is my goal for the immediate future. I am as hungry as I’ve ever been.”
&#8211; Nick Said

Day Thirteen: The Championships – Wimbledon 2018

Chasing The Grand Slam With Kevin Anderson

The room went quiet and all that could be heard was the sobbing of an emotional young man. His crying was soon drowned out as the small crowd of fans and media rose to their feet and began applauding. He had just reached the pinnacle of disabled tennis with a win in the US Open quadriplegic wheelchair tennis division a few days prior, beating the world number one in the final. Lucas Sithole was not ready for the media circus which followed. He simply had never dreamt of this moment.
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Back in 1998, 12-year-old Sithole, without much direction in life, found new meaning following a tragic accident in Dunhouser, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Helping load goods onto a train with a friend, Lucas was caught underneath the wheels of the train when it started moving and his body was shredded to pieces. What remained was his left arm, but most of his right arm and both his legs were gone. For Lucas, it was if the world he knew was destroyed in an instant. Depression washed over him and for a while there was no end to his nightmare. The glimmer of hope appeared later when he turned to disabled sport.
At first, Sithole did not know which sport to take up and he started with athletics. When he moved to Pretoria in 2005 to complete his schooling, he switched to wheelchair tennis. He excelled in the discipline.
By 2011, he had risen to the top-ranked player in South Africa. Even then, Sithole was abundantly clear about what tennis had done for his life.
“Tennis gives me a reason to live,” said Sithole in April 2011, when he was already ranked 14th in the world.
“Tennis is an individual sport, and I don&#8217;t like playing team sports. Tennis is life, and it gives me life. It all started when I accepted myself after my accident. I didn&#8217;t stay indoors, I went to look for help and my primary school was a big help.”
The approach he takes, the humble man admits, is a mental one. It is about never looking back, staying in the moment and planning for the future.
Watching Sithole move around the court with ease in his wheelchair is a sight to behold. Throwing the ball up while holding the racket, both with his left hand, he boasts a powerful serve. But, it is the way he moves around using the stump of his right arm to turn the wheel of his chair and then his left hand which helps produce his speed.
His conduct on the court has also drawn much praise and he is idolized in the disabled community. On his return to South Africa, he was greeted by large crowds of disabled school pupils all hurrying to get an autograph from the first African to win a title at the US Open.
When asked where his inspiration comes from, Sithole says his coach.
“In wheelchair tennis my role model is my coach Holger Losch.”
Losch was a regular tennis coach and had to make the adjustment to quad tennis, but the partnership has grown in strength since they joined forces.
He too, was not short of praise for his star player.
“We are really proud of him for his win and the way he behaved,&#8221; says Losch.
Now, Sithole—having risen to number two in the world in the quad division after his win in the final over the number-one-ranked David Wagner—is readjusting his goals. Having competed in his first Paralympics in London in 2012, his major goal will be to win a medal at the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro.
In the meantime, Losch says he hopes the success of Sithole will inspire many more disabled athletes in South Africa and in particular the already growing sport of wheelchair tennis.
“Nine years ago, there were about three players playing wheelchair tennis in South Africa. Now there are about 500 children playing wheelchair tennis every week. We host six tournaments in [the country] on an annual basis and that&#8217;s just great for the game.”
Meanwhile, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, the deputy minister of disabled people, says Sithole&#8217;s success in the sport will give hope to the entire disabled population of the Rainbow Nation.
“From Newcastle [KwaZulu-Natal] to New York that’s quite a journey for Lucas. When people with special needs are recognized they can achieve anything.”
Bogopane-Zulu says the possibilities are endless now that Sithole has announced himself on the world stage with his major win.
“March on and give disabled people a chance. We need to recognize the rights of the disabled to give them the belief to achieve. We need people to invest in wheelchair tennis so we can produce more Lucas Sitholes.”
Even the sport’s national governing body, Tennis South Africa (TSA), were quick to congratulate Sithole, with the president Bongani Zondi heaping praise on the 27 year old.
“We are proud as TSA to have a champion at long last and also a black South African. We are proud of Holger and all the work Wheelchair Tennis South Africa are doing.”
Sithole was a student at Philadelphia Secondary School. Thirteen-year-old Neliswe attends the same school says she wants to be just like the tennis star. For the young girl, who was born without legs, the chance to rub shoulders with one of her idols is an experience she says she will never forget.
Following on from his title at the US Open, Sithole reached the final of the Australian Open in January. Despite winning the first set, the South African could not hold Wagner off in the final two.
Whether or not Sithole goes on to win more big events, it is quite clear to see that he has already accomplished his mission.

Tag: US Open

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