Why Kevin Anderson winning his first ATP 500 title in Vienna is great for tennis

In every generation, there are some top tennis players who go under the radar. Rims of newspaper pages are not spent on singing their paeans. The players mentioned here are the ones who keep playing at the highest level, consistently compete with the best players only to (mostly) lose in the big finals and semi-finals. Most significantly, they go about their trade without much fuss and fanfare.

They are not the kind who throw tantrums on the court, smash their rackets or tear their shirts. They are not the kind who take out their frustration on the linesmen and women or the ball kids. They are also not the ones who scream “come on” when the opponent commits a double fault! They do not sport designer wear or flashy headbands, either.

They are your normal textbook tennis players who come to the court to play. No doubt they compete hard, very very hard. But they never disrespect their opponents through their words or actions. They go about their game very professionally. Win or lose, at the end of the match, they shake hands with the opponent and the referee, wave at the crowd and leave the court.

Because they never win a Grand Slam or become world number 1, they are not talked about much. However, many of their peers who also never win a Grand Slam or become world number 1, get much more media attention and hog much more of the limelight, because of reasons that have nothing to do with tennis, but much to do with their dressing sense and dramatic talent!

The late-blooming and extremely affable South African Kevin Anderson is one such player. When he is on court, the only thing that he draws attention to is his tennis. No tantrums, no bad mouthing, no drama. How one wishes there were more players of his ilk! It is so hard not to root for Kevin.

His first ATP 500 title is certainly proof that good guys too can finish first. And one wishes and prays that he achieves much more glory on the court, if not garner more media attention!