Anderson aims to inspire

Anderson beat the much-fancied world No 3 Andy Murray of Scotland to advance to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, at the US Open in New York last week. Although he was no match for Swiss player Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarters, the performance of Anderson continued the steady rise for the South African No 1.

“I’ve always tried my best. I remember growing up watching Wayne Ferreira do amazingly well on the (ATP) tour. It was a great source of inspiration. I really hope up-coming players and the young generation can look at me and see that I was in the exact same position 15 to 20 years ago,” said Anderson in a conference call on Monday.

“It’s definitely possible, but sometimes very difficult coming from South Africa. In my first round at the US Open there were some kids from SA schools, probably about 20 kids, all supporting and it was great to have them shouting for me. Little things like that mean a lot to me.”

The 29-year-old said the support from South Africans in recent times had helped him greatly.

“The last couple of tournaments the support has been really fantastic for me. There have been lots of South African flags and I feel it’s an absolute honour to be the only South African there. I see a lot of South Africans in the stands and living abroad. It’s a small community, but it’s a strong one.”

Anderson went on to say he would watch as much of the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup in England starting on Friday when his schedule allows.

“We’re really looking forward to the Rugby World Cup. We’ll be in Asia at the time, but I’ve been looking forward to watching the Springboks play at the World Cup for a number of months now.”

While Anderson now clearly has the ability to beat any of the top players on his day, he admitted it took him some time to become comfortable at the highest level.

“Tennis is such a tough sport, growing up you watch these guys on TV. I remember the first time playing some of the top guys, and it’s just a very strange feeling seeing them on the other side of the net. I feel like it took me a bit longer than some guys to feel comfortable at this level and feel like I belonged on the court with them. More now than ever I feel like I can go out there, play my game and compete.”

At just outside the top-10 in the rankings, Anderson said breaking into that elite group of players would be a great honour.

“I feel like I keep putting myself in good positions. At the same time I feel it’s important to keep focussing on what I’ve been doing to get here. I think it’s easy to get carried away with the (world) rankings. If you play good tennis the rankings will take care of itself.

“I’m happy with the way my game is improving. I’m just trying to stay relaxed and give myself the best shot of getting into the top 10, and that would be a great achievement.”

Part of the reason for Anderson’s success on the biggest stage has been the influence of Alexis Castorri, a sports psychologist who has helped his mental approach.

“I’ve been seeing a sports psychologist and she’s really done a great job getting me where I am because it’s such a mental path getting to this level. She’s just given me a few tools I can work with to keep me calm and give me that right frame of mind.” - ANA

(File photo: Gallo Images)