Power behind Anderson throne
MANAGING KEVIN’S CAREER IS A FULL-TIME JOB
She is the woman behind the man who wants to break American hearts at the US Open. Kelsey Anderson is the wife of Kevin Anderson, who was set to play Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta early this morning for a place in tomorrow’s final, head of her husband’s support team and a woman fast forging a reputation as a force behind his resurgence.
The Andersons met while at the University of Illinois where Kelsey, an American who is now a qualified accountant, was on the golf team. After marrying in 2011, Kelsey put her career on hold to follow her husband on Tour.
“I manage his bookkeeping and I deal with flights and hotel bookings,” she said.
According to Kelsey, there are a few more wives and girlfriends on Tour now than there were a couple of years ago but apart from Roger Federer’s wife Mirka, who used to help with the Swiss’ press relations until the demands became too great, few women have been as active in their partner’s business.
She also takes care of hotel bookings, which, she said, cost “around $3 000 per week”, since they have to book three rooms for themselves, his coach and, for about 20 weeks a year, his physio.
Travelling together means the costs are high – she estimates they spend about $100 000 per year on travel and accommodation – but since they have travelled together, results have been good.
In addition to running the business side of his day to day life, Kelsey has co-founded RealLifeTennis with her husband, a service which offers online tennis instruction.
She watches all of her husband’s matches, trying to strike a balance between being supportive and calm, never an easy task.
Victory for Anderson today would be the ultimate team effort. –