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Amanda Anisimova, the Wimbledon finalist who had failed to qualify just a year ago, has defied all odds to reach her first Grand Slam final. The 23-year-old American stunned world number one Aryna Sabalenka with a 6-4 4-6 6-4 win, securing her spot in Saturday's showpiece.
Anisimova will face Poland's Iga Swiatek in her maiden Grand Slam final, having fulfilled the potential she had shown as a teenager several years ago before taking a break to focus on her mental health. "To be honest, if you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon I would not believe you. Especially not this soon," Anisimova said. "It's been a year's turnaround. To be in the final is just indescribable, honestly."
Last year, Anisimova was struggling to cope with her failure to qualify for the main draw, ranked 191st in the world. She was spending time with her friends and family to take her mind off Wimbledon. "Every time I'm out of a Grand Slam or a tournament, I take a few days off. I don't turn my phone off, but I don't really follow [what is going on]," she said.
Watched by her sister Maria and nephew Jaxson, who was celebrating his fourth birthday, and her best friend and fellow player Priscilla Hon, Anisimova delivered a big-hitting performance reminiscent of her breakthrough year in 2019. She is only the second player in the Open era to reach a women's singles Grand Slam final after losing in qualifying at the previous year's event, the only other woman being Bianca Andreescu, who won the US Open in 2019.
Anisimova's run at Wimbledon has lifted her to a career-high ranking inside the world's top 10, and she could become the third American woman to win a Grand Slam title this year after Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Coco Gauff at the French Open.
Anisimova's journey to the top has been a tough one, with a foot injury and the sudden death of her father Konstantin, who was also her coach, just before the US Open in 2019. She struggled on court and it was not until 2022 that she had another deep run at a Grand Slam, when she reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals. However, she missed much of the 2023 season to look after her mental health before returning last year ranked outside the world's top 400.
This run at Wimbledon is a "special message" to anyone who warned her against taking a break, Anisimova said. "A lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game," added Anisimova, who reached the Queen's final last month. "Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritize yourself [has] been incredibly special to me."
Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, who is a BBC pundit, said, "Amanda Anisimova always had the potential, but she needed to put everything back together in order for her to be able to play at the level she played today."
Anisimova's other great love is art, and she has previously sold her artwork to raise money for mental health causes. Asked what she might paint to represent her Wimbledon run, she replied, "I don't know. I typically do abstract, so it would be hard. "A lot of green and white." She will find out on Saturday whether to add gold to the mix.
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