Kevin Anderson: Double Grand Slam finalist’s emotional farewell letter, who hangs up the racket, full of great battles

An emotional farewell letter, an enormous legacy. The athlete who generated a small great revolution in a punished country, which did not speak the language of rackets. South African tennis player Kevin Anderson, double Grand Slam finalist and former world number 5, announced his retirement this Tuesday, at the age of 35, after having won seven ATP category titles in his professional career.

”I don’t remember a moment in my life when I wasn’t playing tennis”Anderson wrote. “I started the journey 30 years ago when my dad put a racket in my hands and told me that if he was willing to work hard, he could be one of the best players in the world,” he recalled.

”Since then, tennis took me far beyond my roots in Johannesburg, South Africa, and really gave me the world. I have experienced so many different challenges and emotions; this sport can be exhilarating and lonely at the same time,” added Anderson.

At the pace of your run, Anderson exercised a great charitable vocation: together with his wife, Kelsey, they often promote solidarity actions. In fact, a few years ago they held events to benefit an animal shelter in Delray Beach, Florida (there they adopted a puppy that they take everywhere, including to tournaments), and worked on a program to eliminate plastics of the oceans.

Born in Johannesburg, he never had limits to talk about racism. “Coming from South Africa, where apartheid was a big problem and there was a lot of inequality, it has shaped me in terms of how I see certain issues. You need people who speak up,” said Anderson, in an interview with The Guardian newspaper, years ago.

Anderson is an environmentalist. She often fights to try to ensure that lower-ranked tennis players have psychological help, describes himself as “feminist” and became an ally of the LGBTQ community. Anderson is annoyed that there isn’t an openly gay player on the men’s tour. “There’s definitely a stigma attached to it,” he told The Guardian.

“Society has historically not been very welcoming. Times are changing because people are talking, which is great, but it will take someone to break that trend. It will not be easy. It will take a lot of courage. But hopefully, if we can be more welcoming, it might be a little easier (…) One person who does that might open doors for others. In the United States, with team sports, there have been a couple of players who have come out and said it. Jason Collins, who was the first NBA player to tell the tale, said one of his biggest challenges was worrying about his teammates. But once he did it and his teammates supported him, he helped others.”

Owner of a fast serve, from his height of 2.03 meters, the South African became number five in the world in July 2018 and won seven trophies: Johannesburg 2011, Delray Beach 2012, Winston Salem 2015, New York 2018, Vienna 2018, Pune 2019 and Newport 2021.

Final del US Open 2017

“I’ve had ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. My journey helped me become the man I am today. I am very grateful for the wonderful things that have come to me just because I was a part of this sport,” said Anderson, who lost the 2017 US Open final against Rafa Nadal. The following year he agreed to the Wimbledon finalbut this time he collided with the Serbian Novak Djokovic.

Final de Wimbledon 2018

Anderson’s last tour title came at the Hall of Fame Open in July of last year. “When I was a kid, my dad used to tell me that success is not defined by results, but by effort and the sacrifice you make along the way to become the best you can be. I gave my best, ”she sentenced.

Anderson performed for the last time in front of an Argentine player. It was in the second stage of the Miami Masters, against the rising Juan Manuel Cerundolo. The 20-year-old southpaw beat him 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-3, on March 25.