Kelsey makes Kevin tick

NEW YORK. — She is the woman behind the man who wants to break American hearts at the US Open tennis tournament.

Kelsey Anderson is the wife of Kevin Anderson, the South African who played Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals late yesterday, 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 book-keeping and I will deal with flights and hotel bookings,” she said in an interview.

“We all do our part and I’d like to think I have an important role on the team in taking some pressure off him. We do our best just so that he can focus on the game.”

Anderson reached the top 10 in October 2015, soon after making his first US Open quarter-final, and though injuries affected him last year, he is closing in on the world’s top 20 once more.

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’s press relations until the demands became too great, few women have been as active in their partner’s business.

Considering the career she could have had – and may yet have as she plans to keep her CPA (Certified Public Accountant) licence active – Anderson said it had been a sacrifice, but she has long given up worrying about being called a WAG.

Instead, she spends much of her time trying to make sure her 6ft 8in husband gets to fly business class, usually using upgrades through their air miles. — Reuters