Tall and terrifying to opponents, South African tennis star Kevin Anderson is set to cause a few upsets at Wimbledon.

By Pierre de Villiers
When Novak Djokovic beat South African tennis player Kevin Anderson in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami he breathed a huge sigh of relief. While the 6-4, 6-3 scoreline might suggest otherwise, the most in-form player on the planet had to battle every step of the way to subdue the 6ft 8ins man from Johannesburg.
“The result doesn’t show what we had on the court definitely,” Djokovic said after the game. "I mean, I kind of expected him to be aggressive, but he was really going for the shots. He was really putting a lot of pressure on me. A lot. His serve was exceptionally well and hard to read.”
The respect Djokovic has for Anderson is further enhanced by the fact that the last time the two locked horns in the tournament, in 2008, the South African came out on top, causing a major upset. Judging by his form the last couple of years, it’s won’t be the only time Anderson claims a huge scalp. Anderson's impressive run started at the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas two years ago when, as a qualifier, he made it all the way to his first ATP tour final, losing in three sets to Sam Querry. That famous win over Djokovic followed but it was on the grass at Wimbledon that the big-serving Anderson really caught the eye. In an epic contest, the South African - then ranked 95th in the world - pushed the seventh seed Nikolay Davydenko all the way, finally losing in five sets in the first round.
Anderson bounced back from that disappointment to advance to the semifinals of the Atlanta Tennis Championships in July last year before winning his first Grand Slam match at the US Open over Somdev Devvarman in straight sets. Underlining his reputation as a real rising star, Anderson in February won the SA Open, his maiden ATP Tour title, jumping 19 positions in the rankings to a career high of 40. It was a victory that will stand him in good stead come Wimbledon.
“My end of year goal is to finish the year in the Top 20,” he explains. “There’s still a lot of tennis to be played and it’s just important to recognise the accomplishment [of winning the SA Open] and build in confidence for the rest of this year.”

* To follow Kevin Anderson’s progress see www.satennis.co.za. He is set to play Serbian juggernaut Novak Djokovic in the second round.


Photo: Getty