ATP Finals: From breaking into the Top-10 to reaching the Wimbledon final, 32-year-old Kevin Anderson has aged like fine wine

How Kevin Anderson qualified for the ATP Finals What a year Kevin Anderson has had! The 32-year-old South African has been playing some of the best tennis of his career, and over the course of the past twelve months, he has broken into and then subsequently managed to hold down a spot for himself in the top-10, entering the ATP Finals ranked sixth in the world. [caption id=“attachment_5532861” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Kevin Anderson in action during his third round match against Kei Nishikori at the Paris Masters. Reuters[/caption] Anderson began his 2018 campaign with a poor performance at the Australian Open, where he was beaten in the Round of 128 by Kyle Edmund. However, he didn’t let his loss affect his form, picking up the New York Open title in February after defeating Sam Querrey in the final, having seen off Kei Nishikori and Frances Tiafoe in the previous rounds. He enjoyed decent showings at the BNP Paribas Open and Roland-Garros, reaching the quarter-finals and the Round of 16 respectively. But perhaps his best performance in a Grand Slam came at Wimbledon, where he reached the finals after getting the better of Gael Monfils and Roger Federer, before losing to Novak Djokovic. The highlight of Anderson’s campaign at the tournament was his marathon five-set match against John Isner in the semi-final, which went on for six hours and 36 minutes, with Anderson winning 7-6(6), 6-7(5), 6-7(9), 6-4, 26-24, making it the longest match ever played on Centre Court in Wimbledon.

"Anderson vs Isner, a Wimbledon classic - you better believe it"

A Centre Court epic ends with @KAndersonATP going through to the #Wimbledon final, beating John Isner 7-6(6), 6-7(5), 6-7(9), 6-4, 26-24 pic.twitter.com/Fv4ww2cEzK

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2018

Anderson’s also made a run to the Round of 16 in the US Open, where he was beaten by Dominic Thiem. His second title of the year came at the Erste Bank Open 500 in Vienna, Austria. He also got to the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup and the quarter-finals of the Paris Open. Kevin Anderson’s 2018 in 280 characters Kevin Anderson achieved a career-high ranking on World No. 5 in July as he became the highest-ranked South African in ATP history, shortly after his gruelling Wimbledon campaign. Anderson beat John Isner in the second-longest match of Wimbledon history, spending 23 hours and 20 minutes on court, as he played a total of 27 sets, with two matches going into the fifth. One thing you didn’t know about Kevin Anderson Kevin Anderson’s love for dogs has been well documented, with pictures of him and his dog, named ‘Lady Kady’ frequently making rounds of the internet. However, he has also been involved in setting up several charities for animals and wildlife along with his wife, Kelsey Anderson. 

I'm hosting a charity event December 15 to benefit Dezzy's Second Chance Animal Rescue & Ocean Conservancy's Trash Free Seas Alliance! I hope you can join me in Boca Raton but if not, there are many other ways to support the cause ➡️ https://t.co/FcTcDqoZEQ pic.twitter.com/owBJ2vEiS0

— Kevin Anderson (@KAndersonATP) November 9, 2018

Kevin Anderson’s best performance of the season Kevin Anderson has caused a few upsets over the course of his 2018 campaign and has been difficult to beat, enjoying a respectable head-to-head against most of the other ATP Finals contenders. The South African has beaten Kei Nishikori twice, first at the New York Open and then at the Erste Bank Open 500. He has also defeated Roger Federer and John Isner at Wimbledon. Other notable names on his list of the season include the likes of David Goffin, Grigor Dimitrov and Borna Coric. Kevin Anderson’s head-to-head record against Group Lleyton Hewitt opponents Kevin Anderson 6 vs 2 Dominic Thiem Kevin Anderson 1 vs 4 Roger Federer Kevin Anderson 3 vs 5 Kei Nishikori For the rest of the profiles of contenders at the ATP Finals 2018, click here .