Kevin Anderson is looking to follow up his breakthrough 2015 with an even better showing in the new season, which the South African will start in Abu Dhabi, facing Milos Raonic in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on Thursday.
After cracking the top-10 for the first time in his career this year and reaching a maiden grand slam quarter-final at the US Open last September, Anderson is feeling more and more comfortable facing the game’s biggest stars and is hoping to continue threatening them in the future.
Speaking at Yas Marina Circuit on Tuesday ahead of his MWTC debut, Anderson explained the reasons behind his unprecedented success in 2015.
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“I think it’s always working hard, continuing to look to get better,” said the 29-year-old.
“I feel like I’ve got a really good team with me that are constantly helping me strive for more and improve as a player. And also just
experience, being in those positions again, it’s a very fine line.
“The more I’ve been in that position, the more comfortable I get. I really feel like I’m at a point where being in those positions numerous times before I think will serve me well moving forward.”
Some of those positions were painful for Anderson, particularly his five-set defeat to Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon fourth round in July, where he was leading the world No1 by two sets but couldn’t finish the job in a marathon encounter that spanned two days.
Djokovic called it “one of the most difficult matches I have played at Wimbledon in my career” and admitted he was at times “helpless” trying to return Anderson’s cannonball serves.
Anderson can’t deny it was a disappointing experience for him not to get the win but it was a match that taught him a lot.
“Obviously I played good tennis and put myself in a position to win the match. It was definitely disappointing not coming through. But definitely I learned, got more belief in my game and the kind of tennis I feel really comfortable playing, and how my game matches up against the best player in the world,” said the world No12.
“I feel like I had him on the ropes and that part definitely gives me confidence.”
That match, in a way, helped Anderson break his grand slam fourth round hoodoo shortly after at the US Open where he beat Andy Murray to reach his first major quarter-final on his eighth attempt.
“I definitely think (it helped) a little bit, just heading into that match a bit more calm and collected,” said Anderson.
“Also playing good tennis. I just felt I did a better job there sticking throughout the match, not giving him a chance to get back in, which I felt I let Novak do a little bit more in the third set. I needed to have raised my game a bit more. It was tough against Djokovic but I definitely felt I was able to take it one step further at the US Open.”
At 203cm, Anderson is one of the tallest players on tour and while height is an advantage when it comes to serve and hitting big groundstrokes, it can also be a hindrance to moving well on the court. But the Florida-based Anderson doesn’t feel being tall has held him back.
“Being tall, people have always looked at it as a negative – maybe it’s just a little bit tougher but it’s something that you can learn, that you can train. I think you see a lot more guys who are tall moving very well,” he explains.
“It’s something I work hard on. You definitely need a lot more strength, also a lot of rehab because your body is taking more stress and weight through the joints when you’re moving.”
Anderson and Raonic are two Abu Dhabi first-timers and are joined by Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the MWTC this weekend, which serves as an unofficial curtain-raiser of the new tennis season.
“Everybody wants to do well at the beginning of the year, it’s a great opportunity to transition from practice mode and getting into tournament mode,” said Anderson.
Fans will get to witness two of the best servers of the game facing off tomorrow. Asked what makes Raonic’s serve so special, Anderson said:
“I think his biggest thing is just the pace, he brings in a lot of pace when he’s serving.
“He can hit his spots, he’s one of the best in the world. Playing someone with a big serve, you always want to stay patient, you won’t have too many looks but you just try to stick it in. Patience is probably the most important factor.”
