Twelve months prior, Amanda Anisimova was attempting to avoid dwelling on Wimbledon, having been unsuccessful in her attempt to qualify for the main competition. Now, she must prepare for a championship match.
The American player shocked the top-ranked player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka – and even surprised herself – in order to make it to Saturday’s highly anticipated event, claiming a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
The 23-year-old competitor is scheduled to compete against Poland’s Iga Swiatek in her inaugural Grand Slam final, demonstrating the talent she displayed as a teenager a number of years ago, before taking a considerable break to focus on her own mental health.
“In all honesty, if you were to have told me that I would reach the Wimbledon final, I would not have believed it. Especially not this quickly,” Anisimova remarked.
“It signifies a complete year of change. Being in the final is truly beyond words, to be frank.”
Having been defeated in the third qualification round while holding the 191st position globally, during the same period last year, she was unwinding with her friends and relatives to distract herself from Wimbledon.
“Each time I’m eliminated from a Grand Slam or a competition, I allocate a few days for relaxation. I don’t power off my phone; however, I don’t particularly monitor [the ongoing events],” she stated.
“I like to simply relax and devote as much time as possible to those I am with. That is precisely what I engaged in [last year].”
Observed on Centre Court by her sister Maria and nephew Jaxson, who was commemorating his fourth birthday, along with her close friend and fellow player Priscilla Hon – who had called off a training session to be present – Anisimova was surrounded by her cherished ones for diverse reasons on Thursday.
By providing the kind of potent, impactful performance that she exhibited six years prior in a groundbreaking year, when she progressed to the French Open semi-finals, she positioned herself just one victory away from achieving her maiden major title.
She distinguishes herself as only the second player throughout the Open era to advance to a women’s singles Grand Slam final after experiencing defeat in qualifying at the preceding year’s iteration of the event. Bianca Andreescu constitutes the solitary other woman who accomplished this, eventually triumphing at the US Open in 2019.
