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BNP PARIBAS OPENMarch 12, 2014Kevin AndersonINDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA K. ANDERSON/S. Wawrinka THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Looked like you came out with a very aggressive game plan against Stan. Is that a fair assessment? KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, that was my game plan coming out. I had played Stan a few times before, most recently in Shanghai last year, and just being quite aggressive and not giving him too much rhythm from the back. We had a really close match. I lost in a third set breaker. Just taking what I could from that match. One of the things was to try to be as aggressive as I can when possible, and I thought I did that quite well for most of the match. A little bit in the second set I thought I could have done better. But overall, I was happy with the way I went about what I was trying to do out there. Q. Were you paying close attention to his physical condition? KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, it was really tough, especially in that second set, being up a break and having that one service game of his where I think I had Love‑30 or 15‑30 and had an approach forehand which I just missed to go to 15‑40. I crowd got into it a little bit, and next minute I think I had lost like ten points in a row or something. He was serving a little bit better towards the end of the second set and the momentum I had built up had gone. So I really needed to reset and focus for the beginning of the third. I think breaking him first game definitely helped me out a lot. Q. Statistically looks like he's struggling with his first serve. Did you notice that, or is there something you could pinpoint with his first serve? KEVIN ANDERSON: On his? Yeah, he's got a good pace. It's kind of tough to pick up where he's going all the time. I was just trying to put as many balls in the court as possible. I wasn't too aware of it. Game plan is just to get as many first serves back as possible just to give myself the best look in his serve games throughout the match. Q. Is there something about the conditions here at Indian Wells that's different? Because a lot of big servers are finding a lot of success and advancing: you, Milos, Isner. KEVIN ANDERSON: I don't feel the conditions are too different than last year. I think the courts are bouncy. It definitely lends itself to the serve. When you hit your spots, especially the spins, gets up quite a bit. It just so happens this year that it's tough playing guys with tough serves, especially on these big courts. I don't know if it's necessarily much of a court change. I just think those guys have just performed well this year. Q. There is only one guy in the top 6 left in this tournament, which is pretty unusual for a Masters in this era of the ATP where the guys are so consistent. Do you feel there has been a change in the locker room? Raonic was talking about guys like Stan breaking through giving people more confidence that they can beat anybody. Have you felt that? KEVIN ANDERSON: It's tough to pinpoint that exactly. As you said, it's more maybe a feeling. And, you know, just seeing other guys do well probably makes that a little bit easier to believe and to feel like it's not just dominated by the top guys. I think maybe a few things have happened this year, you know, where the top guys are playing. A couple injuries here and there, and, yeah, it's opened the door for a few more other players to step in. I think it's exciting. I think for so long it was dominated by those guys, and I think it was great for the sport. I think it's good to see ‑‑it was great to see Stan breaking that and winning the slam this year. You know, this week seeing some new faces. I think that's great for tennis. Fans and people following the sport get to know other people, as well. Q. Can you talk about coming up next? You play the 7:00 match against the winner right now. If you get Roger, that's kind of a tough double. What's it like to play Tommy? KEVIN ANDERSON: It's going to be tough either guy I play. Tommy is a great player. He's played some of his best tennis in the past couple years. He's pushing that boundary of being so physical, and especially ‑‑ people talk about his age and stuff‑‑ but, you know, he's moving well and he's playing great tennis. Roger sort of speaks for himself. There is not too much I can add from that. It's a close match. It was 3‑All when I last looked, so whoever it is tomorrow, I have to come out and focus on my game and just do what I have been doing. I feel like I have been playing good tennis, and I'm going to definitely continue that tomorrow. Q. You knew how good Stan was before he won Australia, and now playing him after he wins Australia, does that add a little bit of juice to it when you play a guy who has won a slam? KEVIN ANDERSON: It does. I was saying earlier during the match it wasn't really on my mind that he had won Australia. Again, just focused on what I was doing. But seeing him ranked No. 3, it's definitely different. You're so used to the same guys occupying those top four, five spots. I thought Stan had really started playing really good tennis, you know, of recent. I actually wasn't that surprised with him winning Australia the way he was playing. You know, I knew it was a tough match today, and it feels great to beat somebody who obviously has just won a Grand Slam. Q. Congratulations on your recent run. South Africa has a long‑ago tradition that's quite strong, but recently been struggling significantly. Could you talk about that, please. KEVIN ANDERSON: It's really tough in terms of having those opportunities. Being South African, you're really far from the tennis scene. And speaking to some of the older guys, you could get to top 100 without leaving South Africa, you know, however many years ago. You can't do that anymore. You can't even come close. You have to leave the country. There is just not as many people there. So if you are wanting to play pro tennis, you have to leave. I went to college, you know, the collegiate system. I really recommend that to other guys, as well, who I speak to. That just makes it tougher when you have weeks off, not going back there. And then juniors not really getting the opportunity to see the top guys playing. I think, you know, hopefully it can change. I think getting tournaments back there will be a huge step, but I think it's sort of a longer project. Right now there is only a few of us playing out there. And, you know, I hope that people can see that it is possible. That's, you know‑‑ I feel being where I am, I really hope that juniors, especially in SA, because I was in their same position, that ‑‑ it's not easy, but if you keep working, it's definitely possible. Q. Is Ellis Park functional now? Is it a happening place? Do you know whether there are courts in Soweto that are any good? KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, I haven't been to Ellis Park in a number of years, but was there a lot. I played a lot of league matches there. I'm not sure what they have going on right now, if there are squads or academies out of there. I know there is quite a few in the Jo‑burg area, well sort of north of Ellis Park. And then in Pretoria, as well there is a bunch. I haven't been to the Soweto complex to see what's that like. Everybody says it's nice. Hopefully there are kids and the courts are being used. Q. When you have a win like this over Stan, do you allow yourself to celebrate, or do you feel that, you know, it's one win and it's a type of win I feel I should be having? KEVIN ANDERSON: I think there is a bit of both. Right now it feels definitely thinking about the match and speaking to my team, family, and friends, it feels good seeing their support. I think it's important to recognize matches like that. You know, it's not easy beating the top guys in the world. It is in the middle of the tournament, so I definitely have to start focusing tomorrow. But I think at least over the next while I think it's good to reflect on the match and feel proud of the achievement. It's a new day tomorrow and it's a new match. I think it's probably a bit of both. Q. Do you still plan to apply for American citizenship? KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah. It will be sometime next year in summer. I will be applying for dual citizenship. My wife is American. We live in Delray Beach. We just moved there. Also travel‑wise with visas and stuff it will be a lot easier having the American passport, as well. Q. When that happens, can you see yourself playing Davis Cup for America? KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, it's not something I'm thinking about at all right now. You know, I'm South African, and, you know, there has been some Davis Cup issues where it's sort of been tough for me with my schedule and stuff. But, you know, there is no thoughts of when I get my American passport to be playing Davis Cup for the States. Q. After struggling with your knee and elbow injuries a few years back, some have said that you're playing the best tennis you have played in your career. Is it the physical being the better part, or is it just time, that your game is starting to come together? KEVIN ANDERSON: I think it's a bit of time. The elbow and the knee is more of a constant thing. After Australia the knee wasn't feeling that great, and it was a little iffy of whether I was even going to be playing Delray Beach. It's quite temperamental really. It's settled down a lot and it's been feeling better over the last few weeks. Just taking care of that and staying healthy, picking my schedule. I have really put as much emphasis as I can on giving myself the right amount of breaks and really ‑‑ fortunately being in the position where I can pick and choose my tournaments has helped a lot. Staying healthy is such an important thing. It sounds obvious, but you're not at 100% it's really tough to compete. It really throws you off your whole schedule and your routine. And when you have a good schedule and good routine, I think it's so much easier to feel comfortable and play good tennis. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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