Illinois Athletics Hall of Famer Kevin Anderson announced his retirement from professional tennis on Tuesday (May 3) morning.
"Today I finally arrived at the difficult decision to retire from professional tennis," Anderson said in a social media post. "There are so many people who have helped me along the way, and believed that a kid from South Africa could achieve his dreams… Thank you to the University of Illinois who played a big role helping me make the transition from juniors to pros. Thank you to all my teammates, coaches and the entire Illinois tennis community."
"Today's a big day of celebration, we are celebrating the most prestigious a career in Illini tennis history," said Illinois head coach Brad Dancer. "He is a two-time grand slam finalist and not only that but just the Kevin is an outstanding ambassador and has always been for our program. He epitomized the ethic, the mental fortitude and what we want our student-athletes to be like while he was here and at the professional level. We are so proud of him and everything he accomplished and can't wait to continue to work together and collaborate as Kevin moves forward in his journey. We are very very excited for the next chapter and Kelsey, Kevin and Keira and their life together."
Kevin Anderson Career Highlights
- Seven-time ATP Tour champion
- Highest ranked African player in FedEx ATP Rankings history (since 1973).
- Peaked at No. 5 in the rankings
- In 2018, became 1st Nitto ATP Finals semi-finalist from Africa in tournament history (since 1970).
- Advanced to his 1st Grand Slam final at 2017 US Open as No. 32, becoming lowest-ranked US Open finalist in history and 1st African US Open finalist in Open Era.
- Reached his 2nd Grand Slam final at 2018 Wimbledon by beating Isner 26-24 in 5th and 8-time champion Federer 13-11 in 5th Â
- Works to reduce plastic use on tour and received 2019 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award after raising more than $200,000 for First Serve, Dezzy's Second Chance and Ocean Conservancy.
Kevin Anderson at Illinois
- Won the 2006 NCAA doubles title (with Ryan Rowe)
- Earned All-America honors each of his three seasons at Illinois
- Reached the NCAA singles semi-finals and doubles final in 2007
- Three-time First-Team All-Big Ten selectionÂ
- 2007 Big Ten Tennis Athlete of the Year
- Named the Fighting Illini Dike Eddleman Male Athlete of the Year in 2007
