Kevin Anderson hinted that an elbow injury he sustained during the Australian Open contributed to his early exit from the year’s first major tournament.

The fifth-seeded Anderson suffered a second-round defeat to American Frances Tiafoe, who went on to reach the quarter-finals.

Via his blog post for SuperSport.com, Anderson said he was disappointed to be back home so early.

‘I had hopes of progressing well beyond the second round of the 2019 Australian Open, but it was a difficult match for me against Frances Tiafoe. All in all, I felt he countered really well throughout the match. It was a very physical contest, which I thought consisted of high-quality tennis from both of us,’ Anderson wrote.

The world No 6 also shed more light on the injury.

‘Unfortunately, my elbow played up a little, which impacted the effectiveness of my serve, especially in the third and fourth sets. In the days since, I’ve been having a lot of rehab and rest in order to get back into the best condition possible. We travelled home the day after my loss, and I’ll spend a few weeks in the States before my next competition.’

Anderson will be hoping to recover in time to defend the New York Open title he won last year. It starts 11 February.