October 10, 2014 | Men's Tennis
ATP World Tour Bio | @kevinanderson18 
By Lexi Shurilla, fightingillini.com staff writer | @SusanAlexisS
Growing up Tennis Style
Kevin Anderson says that every single day of his life has basically revolved around tennis. He started playing tennis at age six, and grew up with a family that loved the sport. His dad taught him and his brother growing up how to play and his mom was also very involved. Even with his natural ability and family support, the 16th ranked player in the world said it's been a very long journey over the last 22 years of playing to get to where he is now."The goal was always to be one of the best tennis players in the world," Anderson said. "Between different stages in my career and turning pro, it's been a long journey where I've learned a lot of things, I've improved a lot of things and there's still a lot to learn and a lot to improve on.
"At the same time, I think it's good to recognize and take a step back to see how far I've come from the days growing up and dreaming, to be where I actually am today. I'm playing on some of the biggest scenes against some of the best players in the world. Just being able to do something that I love doing every day is something I'm really thankful for."
Choosing Illinois
| Anderson at 2014 Grand Slam Events | ||
|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | ||
| Rd | Opponent | Score |
| R128 | No. 83 Jiri Vesely (CZE) | W, 2-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 |
| R64 | No. 136 Dominic Thiem (AUT) | W, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 |
| R32 | No. 40 Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) | W, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 7-5 |
| R16 | No. 7 Tomas Berdych (CZE) | L, 2-6, 2-6, 3-6 |
| French Open | ||
| Rd | Opponent | Score |
| R128 | No. 74 Stephane Robert (FRA) | W, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 |
| R64 | No. 206 Axel Michon (FRA) | W, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 |
| R32 | No. 37 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) | W, 6-3 RET |
| R16 | No. 5 David Ferrer (ESP) | L, 3-6, 3-6, 7-6(5), 1-6 |
| Wimbledon | ||
| Rd | Opponent | Score |
| R128 | No. 140 Aljaz Bedene (SLO) | W, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 |
| R64 | No. 50 Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) | W, 7-6(0), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| R32 | No. 15 Fabio Fognini (ITA) | W, 4-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 |
| R16 | No. 5 Andy Murray (GBR) | L, 4-6, 3-6, 6-7(6) |
| U.S. Open | ||
| Rd | Opponent | Score |
| R128 | No. 40 Pablo Cuevas (URU) | W, 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(1) |
| R64 | No. 43 Jerzy Janowicz (POL) | W, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 |
| R32 | No. 16 Marin Cilic (CRO) | L, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 |
"Coming from South Africa, I always wanted to turn pro," Anderson said. "When I turned 18, and got to juniors, it was either turn pro or college. I had colleges calling me and I was introduced to this idea of going to college and the more I looked at it, the more it seemed like a really good option for me."
Anderson heard a lot of good things about Tiley, the Illini tennis program was just coming off winning the NCAA championships in 2003 and was ranked number one in the country. Anderson said that his official visit was probably unnecessary because he already had his heart set on Champaign; from the beginning, Illinois seemed like the place to go.
"The biggest thing that I've always felt how Illinois separates itself from other programs is the emphasis it puts on helping each player develop," Anderson said. "I came to college with the goal of turning pro and to improve my game and get to the stage where I felt I was ready to compete with the best players in the world. Having Craig, and Brad [Dancer] taking over, and of course the team is important, obviously they're out there winning matches, but I think that was done because everyone improved and that allowed them to reach their goals. For me that's really what stood out the most, of having that bigger picture of how can I improve most as a tennis player. I think looking back on it, those two and a half years I spent there I just improved immensely."
Anderson started his Illinois career in 2005. He earned All-American honors all three years at UI. As a sophomore, he won the NCAA doubles title with Ryan Rowe. The next year he was picked as the Big Ten singles and doubles automatic qualifier for the NCAA tournament and reached the 2007 singles semifinals and doubles final, as well as helped the Illini reach the team final. For his outstanding season, Anderson was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Year, a unanimous All-Big Ten honoree, selected as Illinois' Most Valuable Player by his teammates and was named the 2007 Dike Eddleman Athlete of the Year.
Coming from South Africa and not being exposed to as much international tennis, especially in Europe and America, working with Dancer in particular gave a lot of dimension to Anderson's game. He learned to use his 6'7" size to his advantage to bring out his athleticism and worked with physical conditioning as well as footwork on the court.
Anderson said that the nature of college tennis is exemplified at Illinois, where the competition within the team itself pushes each other harder and challenges performance. Illinois routinely has a tough season schedule where the Illini take on the other top schools in the country and encourages its athletes to compete during the summer as an extension of the season. Between practicing with each other and competing with other top programs Illinois creates a very good balance for improving its athlete's skills.
Turning Pro
For juniors who are looking at playing professional tennis, Anderson really feels that college tennis is a great opportunity for any player and over the years he's encouraged a lot of players to go to college."I think college is a great place to go to continue developing your game," Anderson said. "It's something I did, and fortunately I went to a great program that allowed me to work on various aspects of tennis and my life outside of tennis which prepared me very well for the pro tour. I think those guys looking to turn pro at some point, maybe after college or whatever their situation might be, it's definitely a long journey."
Anderson turned pro after his junior year, and looking back on it, it was definitely the most difficult decision he's ever had to make. He was forgoing his senior year and had come so close to winning NCAAs his junior season, and it was hard to leave the teammates he had grown so close to. His girlfriend at the time Kelsey O'Neal (former Illini women's golfer) - and wife now - was still finishing school at Illinois when Anderson decided to make the jump to professional tennis, so he would come back and train at UI. After she graduated, the pair was based in Chicago so he was still able to make frequent visits to Champaign. Now in Florida, his rigorous schedule has him traveling 30-35 weeks a year.
Great to have @IlliniTennis great @kevinanderson18 & @IlliniWGolf alum @KelseyOAnderson back today. #Illini pic.twitter.com/PJZDERo3uz
-- Illinois Athletics (@IlliniAthletics) September 6, 2014"There are a lot of ups and downs," Anderson said. "I think for me what's worked really well is just always trying to look at ways for improving, and staying patient with that process. It's motivated me at times where it feels quite tough, but I think by doing that I've been able to climb up the ranks and enjoy some success at the highest level and that's a huge motivating factor. Sometimes it's tough to make the goal of winning tournaments because that's sometimes out of your control, what is in your control is taking care of the little things. I think having the goal and trying to better yourself each day is something that can be very beneficial."
Anderson had a very busy summer, including competing at Wimbledon and at the U.S. Open along with many other tournaments (i.e. Atlanta, Washington D.C., Toronto and Cincinnati), but it's one of his favorite times of the year. He enjoys the conditions of playing on the hard courts (versus clay), where it can get pretty hot and humid. But sometimes he only has a day or so to adjust to a new place, and a few days of jetlag can catch up to him.
"It's something that just takes time and experience," Anderson said. "It's just something at some point you realize and you accept that this is how it is and you just adjust accordingly. Looking at excuses or looking at why it's so tough, everybody has to do it and it's just the nature of the tour. It's one of those things you learn."
More than Tennis
Something that made Illinois so special for Anderson was the community he built with his coaches and teammates. Now he sees his former teammates all over the world. Current Illinois coach Brad Dancer had such a huge influence on Anderson's career, both on and off the court, and is someone that Anderson has kept very close to since leaving Illinois. Dancer has moved from the role of coach into one of Anderson's biggest supporters. He's been to the U.S. Open, he's been to the French Open and he's been to numerous other tournaments within the states to watch him play.
Anderson and Brad Dancer talk between sets during a collegiate match in 2007.
"It's great to have the relationship I've been able to have with him," Anderson said of Dancer. "All the guys on the team are all my closest friends. It was such a close group of guys, even the guys before and after I left, we're all part of the same family. They were all in my wedding a couple years ago, and there was a huge group of 30-35 guys just from Illinois there. I feel like I'm really lucky to be a part of such a great program."
It's hard for Anderson to choose one moment in tennis as a favorite. From college there are definitely a few that stand out in his mind. When his team made the finals of the NCAAs in Georgia, he said that whole week was a very special week, not just because of the result of making the finals but also how the team came together. On the pro side, winning his first tournament where he grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, was really special. All of his friends and family were there watching and it was held just five minutes from where he grew up. Other great memories include beating Novak Djokovic some years ago and recently playing Andy Murray on center court at Wimbledon.
Anderson hasn't lost a first round match in a Grand Slam since 2012, and almost always has someone from Illinois there to support him. Even having achieved his goal of being one of the best tennis players in the world - currently at his highest rank ever - Anderson has also had a lot of fun with those that helped build him into the player he is today, and owes a lot of his success to his time at the University of Illinois.
"What was really great, as much of an emphasis was placed on improving on the tennis court, I think almost a bigger emphasis was the growth as a person, not just for me, but the whole team, allowing our characters to come through," Anderson said. "It was a lot of character building and I think that's why a lot of the players are still so close to the program and all of us feel that we have a lot of roots that go back to the program. That's a testament to Brad, the program he's put in place, and Craig Tiley as well who was there and did such a great job a decade ago in turning around Illinois tennis.
"It's almost funny. I talk to other tennis players from South Africa, especially those who go to college, and always ask if they stay in touch with their college teammates and a lot of them do, but a lot of them aren't as close as when they were back in college. I look back at all my friendships and all of my closest friends are the guys from Illinois. Whenever we're in the same city or town we always get together. At the U.S. Open the last couple years we've had about 10 or 15 people come watch me play, and I think they come to watch me play but they also come to hang out with each other. It's really been special to be a part of that."
