South Africa’s Kevin Anderson is under no illusion of the tough task he faces when he takes on Rafael Nadal in the final of the US Open on Sunday.
The 31-year-old will play in his first major final on court Arthur Ashe, nine years after his grand slam debut. In contrast, world No.1 Nadal will take part in his 23rd grand slam final, with the goal of claiming his 16th trophy. The disparity between the two players is huge, but the underdog refuses to be deterred by the situation.
On route to the final, Anderson disposed of seeded players Sam Querrey and Pablo Carreno Busta. A characteristic of his on-court emotion was the use of fist pumping to edge himself on between points. A technique that has attracted the attention of the world’s media.
“I feel like it allows me to play better tennis. That’s something I have always been looking at any edge I can get.” He explained.
“Everybody talks about how important the mental side is, so the faster you can reset after a point that maybe hasn’t gone your way, maybe a missed opportunity, definitely the better.’
“When you’ve played a good point and sort of acknowledging that also has a lot of positive effect that increases your confidence level.”
On the surface not much is read into the significance of fist pumping, but there are research to prove its benefits. In 2011 the Journal of Consumer Research (JCL) concluded that clenching your muscles help accept pain in terms of long-term gain. In that study it was based on consuming ‘bad-tasting tonic water,’ but figures in the world of sport have supported the concept. Including Allen Fox, author of the book Tennis: Winning the Mental Match.
“What the good ones do is control emotions, control it and then stimulate themselves in critical situations,” Fox told SI.com. “What that excitement does is give you a shot of adrenaline and makes you feel good momentarily, which is particularly useful near the end of a set when you might be getting cautious.”
Tennis is as much of a mental game as a physical one. Anderson hopes to use his fist-pumping technique to create one of the most unexpected grand slam victories of recent time. Regardless of the outcome of his match against Nadal, he is the lowest ranked US Open finalist in the Open Era and the first South African since Cliff Drysdale in 1965. He currently trails 4-0 to Nadal in their head-to-head.
