What’s the story?
South African Tennis star Kevin Anderson might have reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, but by his own admission, he’s got one eye on the England-South Africa Test series currently underway.
And speaking of the sport, Anderson wants a rematch of the 1996 tennis face-off that he had with his country’s cricketing superstar, AB de Villiers.
"I played AB at tennis a long time ago. He was 12 and I was 10. He was a good tennis player and he beat me. We keep in touch but I am still waiting for a rematch."Also read: AB de Villiers refutes stories about his sporting achievements as a youngster
In case you didn’t know…
A jack of all trades, AB de Villiers played multiple sports as a kid, trying out his hand at tennis as well, a sport he was decently good at.
In 2016, Anderson had admitted that de Villiers was a well-known player in the tennis junior circles, and the two used to face each other quite frequently. Hailing de Villiers’ court coverage and backhand, Anderson had also recalled a time when the South African limited-overs captain defeated the 31-year-old in straight sets, despite being given some tough competition.
The heart of the matter
De Villiers took to Twitter to send out a response, taunting Anderson by saying that the rematch “will be over in 30 minutes!”. He then wished his countryman for his next round game, adding that he will be following Anderson’s exploits.
Anderson, who made it to the final 16 at Wimbledon by going past Belgian qualifier Ruben Bemelmans 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), admitted that he regretted not being able to visit the Lord’s to watch some red-ball cricket between the Proteas and England.
He also regretted the fact that AB de Villiers is not participating in the Test series, with the 33-year-old’s future in the whites uncertain. Although he hasn’t retired from the longest format, de Villiers’ absence continues to concern the cricketing fraternity, who has gone on to question the future of Tests.
What’s next?
Anderson will face either of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Sam Querry in his fourth round match-up, one that will prevent him from visiting the Lord’s to follow Joe Root’s captaincy debut. He admitted that he’ll follow the game on television, for he has to keep his priorities and rest appropriately.
Author’s take
It is an established fact that de Villiers was more than a handful at tennis as a kid, validated by the ATP world number 42 Anderson. One wonders how far he would have progressed, had he picked up the racket instead of a bat. Tennis’ loss turned out to be cricket’s gain, and Mr. 360 has become a modern day legend of the sport. AB de Villiers’ hilarious response was on point, making the light banter between the two stars a fun read for fans of both sports.
Anderson’s remarks on de Villiers’ non-participation in the Test series brings to focus the long-standing debate once again: where is the South African’s Test future headed? His sabbatical from the longest format spells doom on the format’s future, for it requires its biggest stars to help maintain the interest and sanctity, amidst the glittery T20 leagues all around.Also read: Brendon McCullum fears for the future of Test cricket
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