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Cape Town - South African tennis ace Kevin Anderson believes his height has its pros and cons.
At 2.03m (6ft8in), the 29-year-old is one of the tallest players on the ATP World Tour.
Anderson’s tall frame gives him a significant advantage when it comes to serving, but it also comes with challenges.
"Height is a funny thing in tennis because it definitely helps the serve but it can hinder agility and movement. I have to spend a lot more time working on movement and flexibility than some of my shorter colleagues," he told zeenews.india.com.
"That being said though, a tall person can improve upon those weaknesses with hard work while a shorter person can never gain the advantages of a taller serve. In that respect, I'm very lucky to have such tall genes!"
He officially starts his 2016 season at this week’s Chennai Open where he will be the second seed behind defending champion Stan Wawrinka from Switzerland.
Anderson, currently ranked at No 12 on the official ATP world rankings, enjoyed a stellar 2015 by breaking into the world’s top 10 for the first time and also reached a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open when he defeated Britain’s Andy Murray in the Round of 16.
Anderson has a bye in the first round of the Chennai Open and will face either Daniel Gimeno-Traver from Spain or Ramkumar Ramanathan of India in his first match at the 250 ATP World Tour event.
