Newsdeck

Newsdeck

Have mercy! Anderson demands rule change after Wimbledon epic

Kevin Anderson of South Africa signs autographs as he celebrates his win over John Isner of the US in their semi final match during the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 13 July 2018. EPA-EFE/NIC BOTHMA EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO COMMERCIAL SALES

Exhausted Kevin Anderson called for Grand Slam chiefs to introduce a cut-off point for final set marathons after the South African reached the Wimbledon final by winning the second longest ever singles match at a major.

Anderson survived a incredible endurance test in the semi-finals on Friday, beating John Isner 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (9/11), 6-4, 26-24 in six hours and 36 minutes.

The 32-year-old is the first South African man to reach the Wimbledon final for 97 years.

But Anderson has little time to rest his aching body before facing Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s final.

And he made it clear Grand Slam tournament organisers should consider a rule change — perhaps introducing a tie-break at 6-6 — to make the deciding set of five-set matches less gruelling.

“I hope this is a sign for Grand Slams to change. For us to be out there for that length of time. I really hope we can look at this, because at the end you don’t feel great,” Anderson said.

“Just playing like that in those conditions was tough on both of us.

“If I was on the opposite (losing) side I don’t know how you take it.

“I have to recover as much as I can for the final now.” DM

Gallery

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

X

This article is free to read.

Sign up for free or sign in to continue reading.

Unlike our competitors, we don’t force you to pay to read the news but we do need your email address to make your experience better.


Nearly there! Create a password to finish signing up with us:

Please enter your password or get a sign in link if you’ve forgotten

Open Sesame! Thanks for signing up.

We would like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick...

…but we are not going to force you to. Over 10 million users come to us each month for the news. We have not put it behind a paywall because the truth should not be a luxury.

Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so.

If you appreciate it and want to see us keep going then please consider contributing whatever you can.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options

Daily Maverick Elections Toolbox

Feeling powerless in politics?

Equip yourself with the tools you need for an informed decision this election. Get the Elections Toolbox with shareable party manifesto guide.