Kevin Anderson announces retirement from tennis: “I gave it my best”

Kevin Anderson, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, announced his retirement from professional tennis on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old, the runner-up at the US Open in 2017 and Wimbledon in 2018, won seven titles in his career, single-handedly leading the way for South Africa’s men’s tennis, and enjoyed a hugely successful career despite a series of significant knee injuries.

Anderson did not give a specific reason for his decision, but in a statement on social media, the 6ft 8in South African thanked family, friends and sponsors.

“Today I finally arrived at the difficult decision to retire from professional tennis,” he said, signing off with: “I gave it my best”.

Anderson’s legacy: Forcing Wimbledon change

Had it not been for Anderson – and John Isner – Wimbledon may still be playing an advantage set in the final set.

Anderson’s epic battle with Roger Federer in the quarter-finals in 2018, when he won 13-11, and his 26-24 marathon win over Isner in the semis took him through to his first Wimbledon final.

But the efforts of his two exhausting wins left him with nothing in the final against Novak Djokovic and it was after 2018 that Wimbledon decided to bring in a final-set tiebreak for the first time in history.

His first Grand Slam final came in 2017, when he reached the US Open title match, only to lose to Rafael Nadal.

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