Former South African number one Kevin Anderson does not believe that his best days in tennis are behind him.
Anderson remains motivated by the desire to win a Grand Slam and perform well in the Masters series after coming back from career-threatening injuries.
Kevin Anderson not ready to retire
The 2018 Wimbledon runner-up has undergone multiple surgeries to repair damage to his right knee but feels that he can finetune his game enough to reach his goals.
The 34-year-old is through to the French Open third round and will face Russia’s Andrey Rublev for a place in the Roland Garros last 16 on Saturday 3 October.
Anderson says that as long as he enjoys his tennis and his body can keep up there is no shortage of goals for him to chase after at the Grand Slams and on the ATP tour.
“There’s still a Grand Slam that I have not won. I’ve been in a couple finals. That’s probably my biggest motivating factor,” Anderson said.
“We have Masters Series, there’s a lot I can do there, as well. In terms of goal setting and achievements, there’s no shortage.
“It’s what I love doing. It’s not always easy, but I think that’s one of the big motivating factors for me as well, just this opportunity to keep pushing myself, figuring things out, improving.”
Anderson’s game has never really lent itself to success on the clay courts, but he says his early successes at Roland Garros have reinvigorated him and given him some self-belief.
Plenty of fight left
The 118th ranked Anderson suffered first-round exits on clay in Rome and Hamburg in the build-up to this year’s Roland Garros but has reached the last 16 at the Grand Slam on four occasions.
Anderson says that despite the long break from the game, in part to recover from surgery and in part due to the lockdown, he hasn’t really contemplated retirement.
“Even though I’ve had all this time, you think maybe this would have been a time to sort of assess some options. But I think part of it is just my mind is not there yet,” Anderson added.
“It’s fully focused on my career. That day will eventually come, but hopefully it’s still quite a few years away.”
Anderson showed great grit and determination to put away 22nd seed Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 in their second round match on Friday. Rublev should pose a greater challenge to the South African who is still on the hunt for that elusive Grand Slam title.
