Anisimova returns to Wimbledon seeking happier ending to last year's final
Amanda Anisimova, who lost the Wimbledon final 6-0, 6-0 to Iga Swiatek last year, is back at the tournament hoping for a different outcome. After a tough year with injury and a coaching split, she is eager to play healthy again.
A year ago, Amanda Anisimova reached her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon by defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a compelling semi-final. But in the championship match, she failed to win a single game against Iga Swiatek, losing 6-0 6-0 in 57 minutes – the first such scoreline in a Wimbledon ladies' singles final since 1911. "I got a bit frozen with my nerves," Anisimova said afterward, but she predicted the experience would make her stronger.
Just six weeks later, at the US Open, she avenged that loss by beating Swiatek in the quarter-finals and then Naomi Osaka to reach a second consecutive major final. "Being able to manage my nerves and try to forget the past with a very quick turnaround – that was the biggest mental challenge I had to overcome," she told BBC Sport.
This year, Anisimova returns to Wimbledon after a difficult period: she parted ways with coach Rick Vleeshouwers, who called the Wimbledon final "the worst off day we have ever experienced," and missed two months of the clay season with a left wrist injury. "I'm going into this just excited to play and be healthy again," she said at Queen's.
A former US Open junior champion and French Open semi-finalist at age 17, Anisimova has also dealt with personal tragedy – the loss of her father and coach Konstantin. She has spoken openly about taking a mental health break from tennis in 2023. "I love just doing something different if I need a self-care day where there's no tennis," she explained.
Beyond tennis, Anisimova is studying business and psychology, paints, and sells her work for charity. She once dreamed of becoming a doctor, but says that is no longer realistic. "Wimbledon is Wimbledon. I'll always love coming back," she added. "Hopefully I can rewrite the story in a more positive way and go all the way at some point."
