In a surprise move, American Amanda Anisimova has reached the Wimbledon final for the first time. Once celebrated as a child prodigy, it took her a long break to return to the sport.
Just over two years ago, Amanda Anisimova was suffering from burnout and tennis tournaments had become “unbearable” for her. A year ago, the American failed to qualify for Wimbledon, ranked 191st in the world. On Saturday, the 23-year-old is in the final of the grass court classic and is playing for her first Grand Slam title.
With a hint of disbelief, Anisimova spoke about her own story after reaching the final and recalled the difficult times. “When I took my break, a lot of people told me that I would never make it back to the top if I was out of the game for so long,” said the tennis player, who was celebrated as a prodigy in the early part of her career. “It was hard to deal with because I wanted to come back and win a Grand Slam one day.”
Now she has that chance at the All England Club. Anisimova will face Poland’s Iga Swiatek, who has already won five of these major titles, in the final. “It’s a really special turnaround for me when I think about how I lost here in qualifying last year, which broke my heart a little bit,” she said, recalling her defeat to Germany’s Eva Lys.
Her father dies when she is 17
Anisimova delighted the tennis world as a teenager, with her backhand in particular thrilling fans. At the age of 17, she reached the semi-finals of the French Open, but shortly afterwards her father and coach Konstantin died at the age of 52. Anisimova returned to play after a short break, but eventually lost interest in the sport.
In May 2023, she announced that she was struggling with mental health issues and burnout. “It’s unbearable for me to be at tennis tournaments,” she wrote on Instagram. Looking back during Wimbledon, Anisimova said it had been a necessary fresh start. “Where I was in my life and with my career, I just had to do this for myself.”
To switch off, she now paints and enjoys visiting museums. Before her break, she had no hobbies other than hanging out with family and friends, she reported in London.
Repeated physical problems
After her return to professional tennis in early 2024, Anisimova was initially plagued by hip and back problems, and she only slowly worked her way back to the top.
Although she celebrated her biggest title win at the Masters 1000 tournament in Doha this February, the pain quickly returned. It is only since she started working with a physical therapist and changed her diet and training methods that things have been steadily improving.
Swiatek raves about her opponent
“Anyone who has problems and comes back even better deserves a lot of respect,” Swiatek said of her opponent before the final. “Amanda is one of those players who always pushes forward in difficult situations. I wish her all the best.”
Anisimova, in turn, described the Polish player as “an inspiration” for her comeback because of her work ethic. At Wimbledon, the New Jersey-born daughter of Russian immigrants is also supported by her sister and nephew, who flew in especially for the quarterfinals.
Even before the final, Anisimova has achieved a major goal and will be ranked in the top ten in the world for the first time in her career starting Monday. It’s a “surreal feeling,” as she herself described it. It may not be the last.
