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Kevin Anderson has plenty of tennis left in the tank

By Harry Floyd

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 16: Kevin Anderson of South Africa plays a forehand in his second round match against Frances Tiafoe of the United States during day three of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 16: Kevin Anderson of South Africa plays a forehand in his second round match against Frances Tiafoe of the United States during day three of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) /
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South African tennis veteran Kevin Anderson jumps one place in the men’s singles rankings following the 2019 Australian Open.

Kevin Anderson moves up one place in the men’s singles rankings this week following the Australian Open. The towering South African tennis star has seen a resurgence in the last two seasons on tour and he matches his career best of world number five.

The rankings move puts Anderson just ahead of Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer. After action at Melbourne park, Federer slides three places in the singles rankings back to number six.

Failing to defend his Australian Open title hurts Federer in the men’s singles rankings this week. As for Anderson, he exited the Grand Slam after a round of 64 loss to American Frances Tiafoe. That doesn’t hold him back from the rankings jump though.

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The 32-year-old Anderson kicked off his 2019 ATP Tour with a title-win in Pune. His first singles match loss came at the hands of the rising Tiafoe at Melbourne Park. As of this week, Anderson is 5-1 in singles matches this year with one title.

Do not overlook Anderson moving forward. The South African has the veteran experience needed to remain atop the rankings throughout the year. He should maintain a top ten position, if not his top five position, for the next several months pending the unexpected. Last year, Anderson reached the finals at Wimbledon where he fell to Novak Djokovic.

The world number one Djokovic remains atop the singles rankings this week after winning the Australian Open. Nole is the player to beat in 2019, but others such as Anderson can challenge him. On the 2018 ATP Tour, Anderson won two titles for the first time in his career. He already has one singles title this year and plenty of runway left to add another.

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A healthy Kevin Anderson will contend with the best throughout the entirety of 2019. His is one of the best players in men’s singles without a Grand Slam to his name and that could change if he manages to get hot at the right time. His retouching the ATP top five is significant in the aftermath of the Australian Open.

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