Tennis
Anderson learns from Nadal
2010-08-13 19:38
Email | Print
Toronto - Kevin Anderson may have bowed out of the Canadian Open in the third round in Toronto - but South Africa's top tennis player said on Friday he had emerged from the 6-2 7-6 (6) defeat against world number one Rafael Nadal "with a lot of positives."
The 6ft 8in, big-serving Anderson, who earlier in the week rescinded a self-imposed, two-year absence from Davis Cup competition to play in the crucial World Group play-off against Germany next month, said he had been working "extra hard" in recent months to improve certain aspects of his repertoire - "and I think it is paying off.
"I believe I am doing pretty much the right stuff now," he added, "and I have been able to compete with some of the best players in the world on a consistent basis recently."
Anderson upset the world's 20th-ranked Sam Querrey in the second round in Toronto and the 80 ATP points he will receive from the Canadian Open should earn him a career-best world ranking in the vicinity of 75th next week.
It should also ensure him automatic qualification into the United States Open in two weeks and a tidy pay cheque in the vicinity of R230 000.
"I'm hoping to continue on the same path I have followed in the past few months," said Anderson, "and hopefully I will continue getting better and better."
Nadal said he had felt in control of the match against Anderson when leading 6-2 4-2, but after dropping his serve and allowing Anderson to recover to 4-4 in the second set, the match had turned into "a real cliff-hanger."