MADRID: South African No.1 Kevin Anderson is confident of producing a strong performance at the French Open following his run at the Madrid Masters.
The world No.8 broke new ground at the Caja Magica this week by reaching his first Masters 1000 semi-final. Ending his run of 10 losses at the quarter-final stage of the series. Despite the breakthrough, he was denied a place in the final by Dominic Thiem. The Austrian, who also defeated Rafael Nadal in the tournament, roared to a 6-4, 6-2, win.
“Today was tough. It was disappointing. I wanted to put myself in the finals and compete for a Masters title, that’s definitely my goal, but Dominic played really well today I thought. He’s a very tough competitor, especially on the clay.“ Anderson said after the match.
Playing in the last four of a Masters event for the first time, some may assume that nerves could have impacted him. During the match, Anderson hit a total of 27 unforced errors and only managed to win 48% of his second service points. Nevertheless, the US Open finalist has dismissed the idea that nerves got the better of him.
“I felt pretty comfortable. Especially after playing US Open last year, the experiences I had from that helped in a situation like today.” He explained. “I don’t really think nerves played much in it. I was excited for the match, which was really good, but it wasn’t as if I felt uncomfortable on that stage.”
Since 2008, Anderson has contested 16 finals on the ATP Tour. Winning four trophies in total. In 2015 he became the first player from his country to break into the top 10 for 18 years. Last year he was also the first South African to reach the final of the US Open since 1965.
“I firmly believe that this is where I belong. I want to play more and more matches at this level and at these stages of tournaments.”
The next big task for Anderson takes place later this month at Roland Garros. The second grand slam of the season. He has reached the fourth round of the event on three previous occasions, including last year where he retired in the last 16 due to a hamstring injury.
Looking ahead to the tournament, he is eyeing a deep run in the draw. Anderson’s best achievement on the clay so far is runner-up at the 2013 Grand Prix Hassan, an ATP 250 event in Morocco.
“I’m definitely setting my sights very high. It always starts with one match at a time as always, so much can happen at the Grand Slams, but I’m looking forward to having a very strong performance there.” He said.
Anderson currently has a win-loss record of 24-7 this season.
Gracias @MutuaMadridOpen. Thanks to everyone for your support 🙏✈️ 🔜 @InteBNLdItalia. pic.twitter.com/JuiyKsjxRb
— Kevin Anderson (@KAndersonATP) May 12, 2018
