WATCH: Kevin Anderson delights with some great cricket shots!
The self-confessed cricket lover is having some fun in India ahead of the Australian Open and has hired a new coach too.
Kevin Anderson. / AFP PHOTO / NEZAR BALOUT
Kevin Anderson won his last-16 match in the ATP Maharashtra Open after Thiago Monteiro of Brazil retired hurt in the second set.
He was leading 7-6(4), 3-2 and looks in decent shape ahead of the Australian Open, which starts on January 15.
South Africa’s leading tennis player also delighted the Indian crowd by hitting a few balls into the stands with a cricket bat.
Anderson makes no secret of the fact that he loves cricket and hit a few decent shots.
When your two favourite sports collide! ???????? ???? #cricket #tennis #AdvantagePune #MaharashtraOpen pic.twitter.com/mkkOnVDg7M
— Kevin Anderson (@KAndersonATP) January 3, 2018
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old has also hired new coach Brad Stine.
“I‘m excited to tell you all that I am working with Brad Stine this year!,” said Anderson on his Facebook page.
“We’ve had a great start already and he’ll be joining me in 2018 as my coach on tour as we work toward more great results.”
Stine coached former world number one Jim Courier during the mid-90s and has since mentored Sebastien Grosjean and Byron Black.
Anderson split with his previous coach Neville Godwin in November.
The 31-year-old Anderson had an incredible run in the US Open last year where made it to the final before losing to Spain’s Rafael Nadal in September.
Anderson, at the time was the the world No 32, was the lowest-ranked US Open men’s singles finalist since the inception of the ATP rankings in 1973.
The South African started the season at No 80 in the ATP Rankings after an injury-ravaged 2016. It was his lowest mark since August 2010.
Anderson reached a career-high ranking of 10th in October 2015 soon after beating Britain’s Andy Murray to reach the US Open quarterfinals.
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