Illinois sophomore Kevin Anderson is a 6-foot-7-inch tennis player with a determined grin, who dreams of professional tennis glory. He is one of two All-Americans currently on Illinois’ roster. The other is senior Ryler DeHeart. A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Anderson signed to play for former Davis Cup Captain Craig Tiley’s Illini, joining the team in January 2005.

Q: What was the biggest adjustment coming to Illinois from South Africa?

A: The weather was definitely up there. It wasn’t as big of a deal as everyone said it was. It was not that much of a difference from back home. The guys are great. I had traveled quite a bit before coming here, so leaving home wasn’t as big of a deal as before.

Q: Greg, your younger brother, goes to school at Kentucky, what was it like seeing him earlier this year when your teams played against each other?

A: We’ve played so many times that it really isn’t a big deal anymore. It was fine.

Q: Who did you look up to when you played tennis?

A: It was definitely (Pete) Sampras until he retired.

Q: Can you give me five words to describe yourself?

A: Sarcastic, laidback, extremely intelligent, facetious in a humorous way, passionate, I take pride in things that I love – like South Africa, U of I and my family – and in things that I really enjoy doing.

Q: What has been your biggest highlight in your tennis career at Illinois?

A: There hasn’t really been one. I know that we can achieve more than what we have, and we are out to prove something and that would be winning this year’s NCAAs. That is definitely something that we are going for.

Q: When you’re not eating, sleeping, playing tennis or studying, what are you doing?

A: Hanging with the five.

Q: You’re 6-foot-7, do you ever get confused with members of the basketball team because of your height? What is that like?

A: Yeah, that is an every day occurrence. There are more days that I do get asked that than not asked that. I don’t really get that I annoyed by it. I just say, “No, I’m on the tennis team.”

Q: What do you miss most about being at home?

A: Obviously my family; braai, the real version of a barbeque or a grill; and definitely sports: rugby, cricket. There are definitely more sports, and I miss watching South Africans kick the kiwis.

Q: If you weren’t a tennis player, what would you be?

A: A long distance runner. My dad used to run and that has always been a very big emphasis in my tennis besides getting fit. That is definitely something I enjoy doing.

Q: What is it like being a member of the Davis Cup team?

A: I was proud of it and I enjoy representing my country. The next time is in June or July, so hopefully I’ll get a chance to play again.

Q: What was it like being an All-American after your freshman year?

A: It was a good feeling. Every time you go into the Atkins Tennis Center and look on court 2 you can see my picture there. When my parents came, they were surprised to see my picture up there.