Anderson’s shock exit adds to misery for leading men
Just four of top 10 left as South African goes out Raonic believes courts have been slowed down
Just four of the top 10 male seeds remain in the tournament after Kevin Anderson, last year’s runnerup, was eliminated by Argentina’s Guido Pella, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.
Outside of the big three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, only Kei Nishikori, who has not advanced beyond the quarterfinal of a grand slam tournament since 2014, remains in contention.
Anderson’s season has been interrupted by an elbow injury and he never looked near his best on Centre Court against Pella, the No26 seed. The South African, who was the No4 seed, afterwards admitted that he did not feel his sharpest.
“Without a doubt playing a lot of matches and being match tough, having a lot of confidence in that process, is very valuable,” said Anderson. “I haven’t had that right now. I’m sure that fact is in somewhere along the line. I thought today, even though I haven’t played, he was really a tough opponent.
“He made life really difficult for me, I felt. He moves really, really well. I felt I had a pretty hard time keeping him on defence, finishing out the points. When I was able to do that, I had the most success. Overall I didn’t feel like I played that bad of a match. It was definitely a tough one. It was very difficult at times out there.”
Pella struggled to contain his emotions. “I don’t know how to describe this moment,” he said. “This match was unbelievable for me. I was focused the entire match and it was amazing.
“My mind is in the right place. I’m playing much more aggressively than previous years. I’m confident. I just need to continue to fight for every point.”
After the dominance of the big servers in 2018, Anderson’s elimination further underlines the notion that the courts are playing slower this year at Wimbledon. Both Anderson and John Isner, who shared a six and a half hour semi-final last year, have fallen alongside other big hitters such as Marin Cilic and Karen Khachanov, the Russian No10 seed who was beaten in straight sets by Roberto Bautista Agut.
However, Milos Raonic, the 2017 runner-up, bucked that trend by beating Reilly Opelka 7-6, 6-2, 6-1. The Canadian, who faces Pella in the next round, believes that the courts have been deliberately slowed down, despite denials from the All England Club. “I’m sure it’s an intent, because as you see it, the tennis that’s played on grass has changed significantly. And it’s not because of athleticism or anything,” Raonic said. “It’s because the grass has allowed for that. And you see that with the list of champions and all these kind.
“You know, big servers can still have benefits on it, especially the first week when it’s harder to move. Later it’s tough because it gets pretty sticky on the baseline. It’s no different than moving on a clay court. You see guys that are comfortable sliding on the grass, as well, the more athletic guys. And then it just sort of plays like any other surface.”