Tennis: Evolving Swiatek meets resilient Anisimova as Wimbledon set for new champion
Photo:
AFP
The Wimbledon women's singles championship will culminate with a new name set to be etched onto the gilded Venus Rosewater Dish for the eighth successive year.
Eighth seed Iga Swiatek of Poland will look to win her sixth Grand Slam title and first on the grass courts of London when she faces 13th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova, who is targeting her maiden major crown.
Swiatek stamped her authority as the queen of clay when she lifted her fourth French Open title in five years in 2024.
Her vast trophy cabinet also contains the 2022 US Open trophy.
It has been a barren 13-month run for the 24-year-old, who has had to deal with off-court distractions after a short doping ban late last year following her positive test for trimetazidine due to contaminated sleep medication.
While the 24-year-old has never previously had too much love for grass, with the slick surface posing a litany of challenges for the Pole, Wimbledon has offered her a golden opportunity to return to winning ways and confirm herself as an all-court ace.
"I never thought it was going to be possible," said Swiatek, who will attempt to become the youngest woman since 20-year-old Serena Williams in 2002 to win Grand Slam singles titles on all three surfaces.
"I'm not this kind of person that sets these kinds of goals. I live tournament-by-tournament. It's not like I wake up and I'm like, 'Ok, I'm going to win three Grand Slams this year' because that's not how I work.
"I have more down-to-earth goals, practising day-by-day. This is what has always been working."
Swiatek's approach has helped her fly under the radar over the past fortnight, with only one set dropped in the tournament, and she romped into the final by thrashing 2020 Olympic champion Belinda Bencic 6-2 6-0.
Amanda Anisimova while playing at the 2020 ASB Classic in Auckland.
Photo:
PHOTOSPORT
She could become only the third woman since tennis turned professional in 1968 to win all of her first six major finals, joining Margaret Court and Monica Seles, but Swiatek is not taking the big-hitting Anisimova lightly.
"I haven't followed her previous matches... she must be playing great," said Swiatek, who until last month had never even reached the final of a grass court event.
"She had a great tournament before Wimbledon. She knows how to play on grass. With her game style, the surface fits her, so it's going to be a challenge."
Drawing inspiration from Williams, Anisimova will look to become the first American woman to claim the Wimbledon title since her compatriot in 2016 and keep her country's flag flying at the majors.
After Madison Keys won the Australian Open at the start of the year and Coco Gauff triumphed at Roland Garros, victory for Anisimova will keep alive hopes of US women completing an "American Slam" of the four majors.
Having dabbled in art while taking a mental health break from the sport in 2023 over burnout fears, the 23-year-old Anisimova will look to pick up her racket and paint a masterpiece on Centre Court with the world watching.
There have been strokes of brilliance during her run this year, highlighted by her semi-final win over top seed Aryna Sabalenka, but Anisimova said reaching the level she has after her eight-month sabbatical felt even more special.
"It goes to show that it's possible," Anisimova said.
"That's a really special message I've been able to show because when I took my break, a lot of people told me I'd never make it to the top again if I take so much time away from the game. That was a little hard to digest.
"I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and win a Grand Slam one day. Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself... that's incredibly special to me. It means a lot."
Although the pair met as juniors, this will be their first clash at the elite level and Anisimova is up for the challenge as she pits her powerful, aggressive style against the court craft of Swiatek.
"Iga's such an unbelievable player," Anisimova said.
"She's also been an inspiration to me. Her work ethic and all of her achievements have been really inspiring. I'm sure it will be an amazing match.
"I'm going to go out and enjoy every moment and try to not think about what's on the line there."
- Reuters
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