Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Two-Time Grand Slam Finalist Kevin Anderson Comes Out Of Retirement

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Nurein Ahmed | Last updated 7/7/23

Former world #5 Kevin Anderson announced his imminent return to the ATP Tour, almost 14 months since his official retirement from professional tennis. He will mark his second coming at the ATP 250 event in Newport in the week after Wimbledon. Anderson won the Newport Hall of Fame Open in 2021 – the final trophy before his retirement.

The 37-year-old, who is one of South Africa’s most successful players in the Open Era, reached two Grand Slam finals during the first phase of his career. He lost to Rafael Nadal in the 2017 US Open final. And less than a year later, he defeated Roger Federer en route to the Wimbledon final where he finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic.

In total, Anderson amassed seven ATP singles titles and almost $18 million in prize money. He penned a heartfelt message on social media when he announced his retirement last year.

Two-time Slam finalist Kevin Anderson returning to tour in a couple weeks at ATP 250 Newport. pic.twitter.com/YPhU8ABrGH

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 7, 2023

He has since reversed that decision. His return was confirmed by the ATP, who noted that Anderson has received a wild card to play in Newport.

Anderson said, I’m thrilled to make my return to the Tour in Newport. Winning the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in 2021 was a special moment for me. I couldn’t think of a better place to make my comeback, and I’m excited to hit the grass once again.”

Anderson was restricted to 11 matches in his final season in 2022, citing body aches and physical pain being the key drivers to making that decision. He played his last match at the Miami Masters where he lost to Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

He added, “When I retired, it was tough. I was dealing with a lot of physical pain. Just a lot of parts of the body were really making it difficult to compete the way I wanted to, but also emotionally and mentally it was very challenging and I felt like I needed to stop playing.”

Anderson peaked at a career-high World #5 in 2018–becoming the highest-ranked South African man in 33 years to achieve that landmark.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: