Kevin Anderson broke into the ATP top 30 nearly one year ago and has consistently delivered within that ranking since. However, the South African ran into a wall while attempting to advance to his next milestone – until last week, where he broke through, logging his highest career ranking at No. 18. With his positive outlook, including his first victory over reigning Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka at Indian Wells, there are now signs that even higher rewards are within grasp for Anderson.

The 27-year-old made his entrance to Indian Wells off the heels of a finals appearance in Acapulco. There, he defeated David Ferrer and tamed the red hot Alexandr Dolgopolov before falling to Grigor Dimitrov in the final. Riding his momentum into the California desert, there could be little doubt that his resolve would be sturdy against most opponents. However, Anderson upped the ante by defeating the Australian Open champion in the round of 16 before ultimately falling to Roger Federer in the quarterfinals.

With the Indian Wells result, Anderson kept alive his 2014 streak of advancing to at least the round of 16 in all tournaments entered thus far, which include two finals appearances along the way.

However, the path to his current success and top twenty ranking took a more creative route during his career than many who have accomplished similar results. Understanding that realistic chances for success in the sport were not optimistic by staying in South Africa, Anderson was forced to weigh difficult choices in the infancy of his career. Reflecting, he realized early on that his journey may be an unconventional one.

“It's really tough in terms of having those opportunities being South African. You're really far from the tennis scene,” he stated at Indian Wells. “If you are wanting to play pro tennis you kind of have to leave, I went to college, the collegiate system.” Hailing from a country that once produced players such as Cliff Drysdale, Johan Kriek and Kevin Curren, Anderson opted to enter the United States to play tennis at the University of Illinois.

Now, contemplating his future while on tour, he appears poised to maximize his opportunities along the journey. “Sometime next year in the summer, I will be applying for a duel citizenship. My wife is American. We live in Delray Beach. Also, travel wise it will be, with visa's and stuff, a lot easier having the American passport as well.”

Anderson certainly has top-echelon weapons in his arsenal that should produce continued improvement. Armed with a powerful serve and strong ground strokes, it is not unlikely that his rise will continue. However, one must wonder where his ranking would be with any success against his nemesis, Tomas Berdych. Anderson has yet to defeat Berdych in ten attempts with five of those losses coming in a third round or beyond in Grand Slams. The remaining five were at ATP Masters events, all within the last two years. With just a modicum of success against the world No. 5, Anderson may already be on the doorstep of the top 10.

Yet, with recent success against players such as Wawrinka, the tide may be turning barring a set back due to injury. Recently, despite struggling with ongoing elbow and knee injuries, the South African has advanced his game to its highest level while playing through those nagging afflictions.

“Picking my schedule and really putting as much emphasis as I can on giving myself the right amount of breaks…has helped a lot with that but staying healthy is such an important thing,” Anderson stated.

From a confidence standpoint, Anderson may be one of a number of players benefiting from the imminent crack in the “Big 4” armor of late, allowing some to question whether that era has finally seen it's day.

“Just seeing other guys do well, probably makes that a little easier to believe and to feel like it's not just dominated by the top guys,” stated Anderson. “A couple injuries here and there and it's opened the door for a few more other players to step in. I think it's exciting.”

Clearly, 2014 has indeed started out as a confident one for Anderson who has put together the best stretch of tennis of his career. With continued success against the top players in the world, while remaining healthy, he could find himself in the heart of his breakout season. At age 27, there is still plenty of tennis remaining and a lot of positives to build upon. And with career victories against players such as Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer and now Wawrinka, Anderson's confidence must inevitably be soaring.