Kevin Anderson decides to come out of retirement

Kevin Anderson is basically tennis royalty here in Florida. In Delray Beach, he was given a key to the city. A resident and winner of the Delray Beach Open back in 2012, Anderson was once ranked as high as #5 in the world. In 2022, however, he announced his retirement after his last match at the Miami Open.

Why not just kick back, bask in the sun, and enjoy retirement? Well, not so fast. Anderson is ready for a comeback. Yesterday, he announced his return to professional tennis. Later this month, he'll be competing on the grass in Newport. 

“I’m thrilled to make my return to the Tour in Newport,” Anderson said, according to the ATP Tour. “Winning the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in 2021 was a special moment for me. I couldn’t think of a better place to make my comeback, and I’m excited to hit the grass once again.

Above: A look at Kevin Anderson's immense dedication to the sport of tennis

“When I retired I didn’t know if I was going to play again or not. Most of last year I wasn’t planning to. But a couple months ago I started hitting again and just really enjoyed being out there.

“My body felt much better and what I was doing with the tennis ball was really exciting to me and made me want to challenge myself again. I didn’t know if I’d have that opportunity but fortunately Newport has given me one, so I wanted to go out there and play again.”

It turns out that the tournament officials in Newport awarded him a wild card. And it's no wonder — Anderson has had a storied career, reaching the US Open final in 2017 and the Wimbledon final in 2018. He also qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals back in 2018 and made an impressive run to the semi-finals.

Looking ahead, Anderson hopes to compete in more pro tournaments following the Newport ATP 250.

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Written by Florida Tennis' Executive Editor and Publisher Matt Pressman. Source: ATP Tour. Photo: mirsasha / Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). Video: Dunlop Sports.