Worth the wait, says Anderson

NEW YORK: Even in tennis, good things come to those who wait.

At the age of 31, Kevin Anderson reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open on Friday thanks to a 4-6 7-6 6-3 6-4 victory over Spain’s Pablo Carrena Busta.

In this era when players are winning Grand Slam titles well into their thirties, Anderson almost doesn’t qualify as a late bloomer.

But the South African, the first born there to make a Grand Slam final since Kevin Curren at Wimbledon in 1985, has shown patience, resilience and unending dedication to make his Grand Slam breakthrough.

“It’s been a lot of hard work to get to this point,” said Anderson, who will meet World No 1 Rafael Nadal in the final.

“It feels fantastic.

“It’s been a long road to get here and sometimes tough. We’ve been dominated by a select few individuals and there are definitely times where you think those will be the guys who will always be competing for it.”

Anderson was late to the Tour after choosing to go to college in the United States, at the University of Illinois, where he was coached by Craig Tiley.

Tiley, a former South Africa Davis Cup captain and now the tournament director at the Australian Open, said Anderson deserves every moment of his success.

“He had the same professionalism and dedication and attitude that you see on the Tour today when he was at college,” Tiley told Reuters.

“Obviously he’s been on a long journey. But he’s always had a fantastic attitude and passion for the game. It was a privilege to coach him because of the attitude he had.”

Anderson always used to be considered a nearly-man, for so long unable to get past the last 16 of a Grand Slam event, always finding someone just too good on the day.

But despite a series of injuries,