Kevin Anderson aims for new heights at Wimbledon against Andy Murray

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/jun/29/kevin-anderson-wimbledon-andy-murray-centre-court

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Kevin Anderson, at 6ft 8in, serves from a height roughly in line with the top of the umpire’s chair on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, a place he is determined to enjoy on his debut there on Monday against Andy Murray.

“Everybody talks about the walk going out there,” the friendly South African says. “There are not many people in this sport who get to do that. And then you add it’s the fourth round, we’re into the second week of the tournament and it’s up against the defending champion, from Great Britain!”

Only Ivo Karlovic and John Isner breathe at the same altitude as Anderson. Like those giants, when Anderson gets his serve in a groove it is lethal and it has been just that in the first week of these championships; delivering him 68 aces, the quickest at 132 miles an hour. Only Nick Kyrgios, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Milos Raonic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Marin Cilic have won more free points on their serve at this tournament.

Anderson revealed on Sunday that, much as he loves tennis, he might have followed his father into middle-distance running or become a cricketer. “My dad was a good runner and I played tennis with AB de Villiers when he was top ten in the country,” he said. “He was a couple of years older than me and he did get the better of me. I need to get my revenge at some point. I am a huge cricket fan, probably my favourite sport.”

Like a lot of tall people, Anderson speaks softly but firmly and dispelled speculation that recent workouts with Andy Murray’s former coach, Ivan Lendl, near their homes in Delray Beach, Florida, would lead to a change of personnel in his team.

In January Anderson took up with his compatriot Neville Godwin (who, at 5ft 7in, walks in the player’s shadow but whose cunning compensated for his lack of inches when he reached the fourth round here in 1996) and is pleased with the progress they have made. Godwin said recently: “I tend to see the game slightly differently to others. I was always able to read an opponent and expose his weaknesses.”

So, Murray will have imported cunning as well as raw speed and bounce to deal with. And he will not have to worry about Lendl suddenly appearing in Anderson’s box.

Not often in the heavy glare of publicity at a slam, Anderson’s date with Murray has changed all that in the past couple of days. “I haven’t been reading the papers but somebody said they called my wife Samantha when it’s actually Kelsey.

“Maybe it was confusion over the Lendl thing – his wife is Samantha, and they were saying how I hit with Lendl. He lives in the area and he’s great friends with Jay Bosworth, who does my racket customisation. Jay said [Lendl] would love to hit some balls. We hit for a couple of hours one day, during the clay-court season just before Madrid [while Murray was practising in Valencia].

“It wasn’t some sort of coaching clinic, though. He hits the ball amazing. He was moving me around. I’ve been down to Miami a few times to practise with Andy. Last time was in December, we played a bunch of sets. Practising with the best players is the way to improve.”

Anderson says he was pulling for Murray when he beat Novak Djokovic in last year’s final – as was most of the locker room. “I was happy to see him win it,” he said. “It always comes down to the same few guys and for them each major counts on that all-time slam list. But you couldn’t help but hope for Andy last year. I really enjoy watching Novak playing but at this tournament, given the history, Andy had a lot of support – even from a lot of the other players. He has won it now – so I guess there’s no need for him to go on and win two in a row.”

There will be no sentiment on Monday, however. Anderson knows what a tough competitor Murray is and the Scot sounded in relaxed, focused mood on Sunday. “After winning it last year, the pressure of wanting to win definitely was finally released,” he said.

“I had worked very hard for a long time in order to get myself into a position where I was able to win the championship. I’m still feeling the pressure and the nerves but this year they are completely different. I like having the nerves and I’m able to use them positively.”

Every amateur psychologist anywhere near the game has noticed the change in Murray since Lendl quit in March after two spectacularly successful years. Some people close to Murray cautioned him about appointing a successor too soon but the arrival of Amélie Mauresmo just before Queen’s has already had a positive effect. Murray seems altogether a calmer, less anxious individual.

“It’s great having Amélie around,” he said. “She’s a very calm person but also incredibly supportive, so naturally that helps me. She’s also a great listener and, if I have any concerns, she’ll listen to them and then we’ll work through them in practice.

“She has been over to the house a few times but she’s not living with us. It’s important to try and give each other space, particularly during the grand slams, as you can spend a lot of time together.”

For all that he likes Anderson Murray will be keen to spend as little time as possible around him on Monday. A quick win would be the perfect preparation for a quarter-final against either Grigor Dimitrov or Leonardo Mayer on Wednesday, followed by a likely semi-final on Friday against Djokovic, who has to beat Tsonga and then either Jérémy Chardy or Marin Cilic.