Kevin Anderson played two legendary matches at the 2018 Wimbledon Tournament. Especially the marathon against John Isner had repercussions.
Not many players will remember the same tournament for two matches for eternity, but Kevin Anderson did just that. In the five-set comeback victory over Roger Federer, he fended off a match point after trailing 0:2 sets and won 13:11 in set five; in the semi-final against John Isner the numbers in the decisive set were 26:24, making Anderson and Isner the second longest Wimbledon match ever (Isner also holds the record for the longest).
It was the big question how fit Anderson would go to the final after only one day break. “When you stand on the pitch for so long, his feet are flat,” the South African told the ATP. “I woke up at 4:30 a.m., maybe slept for an hour. My feet felt like they were on fire. The sheets couldn’t touch my toes.”
His physiotherapist treated his feet, “a job that took almost the whole next day” – Anderson looked a bit wooden in the final against Novak Djokovic, but ultimately lost quite smoothly with 2:6, 2:6, 6:7 (2).
“You’re trying to think of the finale as a normal day, of course. I think I did a pretty good job,” said Anderson, for whom the Wimbledon final was the second major final after the US Open 2017 – an experience “that may have helped”. In the third set, Anderson came into play better and even had a chance of extra time. “If I had had this form at the beginning of the match, I would have given myself a chance,” he reflected.
Nevertheless, a big dream came true for the 32-year-old: his first entry into the Top Five. He had already cracked the top ten in 2015, but subsequently dropped to 79th place due to injury. However, he has never lost faith in his goal, also thanks to the positive vibes from his environment. “The support of my wife and team was crucial during this time.”