South African Kevin Anderson has announced his retirement from professional tennis at the age of 35. Once ranked as high as fifth in the world, Anderson is the highest ever ranked African player, and was twice a Grand Slam finalist.
In 2017, he got to the final of the US Open in New York, but lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets. The following year, he overcame John Isner in the second-longest match in Wimbledon history, winning their semi-final in six hours 36 minutes, However, Novak Djokovic denied him in the final, and he suffered another straight sets defeat.
Those two final appearances came after he had battled back from a series of injury problems in 2016.
He began the 2019 season well with a win on Indian soil at the Maharashtra Open. But back luck struck again, and he suffered a string of knee problems, eventually requiring surgery on his right knee.
He came back only to face further problems when he tore his meniscus. He required further surgery and had to spend time on the sidelines, but he did recover sufficiently to win his seventh. As it has transpired, his last career title came on grass, at Newport Beach last July.
At the peak of his powers, Anderson had one of the fiercest serves on tour, although injuries robbed his serve of some potency in recent years.
He has a 1-5 record this year. His last match was at the Miami Open in March, where he entered the main draw as a lucky loser and went down in three sets to the Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
He was ranked 107 in the world when he decided to hang up his racquet. His tennis career helped him earn nearly USD 18 million in prize money and considerably more in sponsorship deals and endorsements.
Anderson has no regrets, and would not have changed anything about his career. His tennis journey has helped make him the man he is today.