Amanda Anisimova ready to face ‘inspiration' Iga Swiatek in Wimbledon final
"The moment of this young woman's life" 👏
Amanda Anisimova completes an extraordinary semi-final to defeat No.1 seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 and book her spot in her first ever #Wimbledon final 💥
Take. A. Bow. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/WexH4VL2k2
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2025
She defeated Coco Gauff to win the US Open junior title just after her 16th birthday and by 17 was a top-30 star and a French Open semi-finalist.
But then came the sudden death of her father from a heart attack and difficulties with form and injury, and by early 2023 Anisimova felt so burnt out by the sport that she took an indefinite break.
With restoring her mental health the priority, the Floridian revived a childhood love of art, selling her paintings to raise money for charity.
In January last year, Anisimova felt ready to return to the tour and six years on from her Roland Garros breakthrough she is back challenging for the sport's biggest titles.
Anisimova will leave Wimbledon as a top-10 player, and maybe a grand slam champion, although to achieve that she will have to get the better of five-time major winner Swiatek.
Their only meeting on court came nine years ago in the Junior Fed Cup, when Swiatek, who is three months older, emerged the winner.
'She was a great junior,' said Anisimova. 'I remember a lot of coaches were saying that she's going to be a big deal one day. Yeah, obviously they were right.
'Iga is such an unbelievable player. 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 again.
'Getting to compete against an unbelievable player again is going to be super special. Hopefully I can bring some high-quality tennis and make it a battle out there. I'm just going to go out and enjoy every moment and try to not think about what's on the line there.'
Iga Swiatek has surprised herself with her Wimbledon run (Ben Whitley/PA)
Swiatek is happy to see her former junior rival, who lost in qualifying here last year, back in the big time, saying: 'Anybody who struggles and gets back at a better level deserves a lot of respect.
'For sure, Amanda is one of these players that kept going forwards in tough situations. I always wished her the best. Good job for her.'
Anisimova's run here has come amid the best season of her career, and she can take confidence from the fact players with her power game style have often proved troublesome for Swiatek.
'She knows how to play on grass,' added the Pole. 'With her game style, the surface fits her. So it's going to be a challenge.'
Are you ready for it… ⚔️
A new Wimbledon Champion will be crowned on Saturday! #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/8HaLPn3RE7
— wta (@WTA) July 10, 2025
Swiatek has suddenly found the surface fits her as well having never previously been beyond the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
Coming off a disappointing campaign on her favoured clay, with the former world number one dropping to eighth in the rankings, Swiatek is only a marginally less surprising finalist than Anisimova.
She certainly has more experience of grand slam finals than her opponent – and has never lost one – but Anisimova is confident, having taken a circuitous route to this moment, that she will not get stage fright.
'I think for sure that's going to be coming into play a bit, keeping our nerves at bay and staying composed,' she said.
'I would say we're both pretty experienced. Obviously I haven't been in a grand slam final before but I've experienced a lot of moments similar and a lot of high-stakes matches. I feel like I'm pretty prepared.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
10 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Outstanding midfield and proven winners – England's final opponents Spain
Here, the PA news agency analyses their opponents. Spain have shone throughout the tournament playing a rich brand of possession-based, fluid attacking football, very much in keeping with the country's traditions. Coach Montse Tome has an enviable array of world-class players at her disposal and knows she can get on the front foot, confident of being able to dictate games. The reigning world champions have lived up to their billing as favourites, producing some impressive performances en route to the final. Portugal were vanquished 5-0 and Belgium 6-2 in a strong statement of intent during the group stages and the 2-0 defeat of hosts Switzerland in the quarter-finals was a thoroughly professional display against stubborn opponents. They had to dig deep to see off Germany in extra time to reach the final. There is no doubting Spain's pedigree, having won the World Cup in 2023 and the UEFA Nations League last year. They are a formidable outfit and this more than makes up for a lack of past success in the tournament. This is only the fifth time they have played at the Euros and their first appearance in the final. Recent meetings have been fairly evenly matched, with England beating Spain 1-0 in the Nations League in February, but that result being reversed as Sarina Wiegman's side lost 2-1 last month. Spain, of course, edged the most prestigious fixture of them all with a 1-0 triumph in the World Cup final two years ago. Spain have no shortage of talent and their midfield trio of Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati and Patri Guijarro is outstanding. Forward Esther Gonzalez has her eyes on the golden boot and defender Laia Aleixandri is available again after suspension.
South Wales Argus
10 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Outstanding midfield and proven winners – England's final opponents Spain
Here, the PA news agency analyses their opponents. Style Coach Montse Tome boasts a strong squad (Nick Potts/PA) Spain have shone throughout the tournament playing a rich brand of possession-based, fluid attacking football, very much in keeping with the country's traditions. Coach Montse Tome has an enviable array of world-class players at her disposal and knows she can get on the front foot, confident of being able to dictate games. Tournament form Spain have run up some big scorelines (Nick Potts/PA) The reigning world champions have lived up to their billing as favourites, producing some impressive performances en route to the final. Portugal were vanquished 5-0 and Belgium 6-2 in a strong statement of intent during the group stages and the 2-0 defeat of hosts Switzerland in the quarter-finals was a thoroughly professional display against stubborn opponents. They had to dig deep to see off Germany in extra time to reach the final. History & pedigree Spain are the reigning world champions (Zac Goodwin/PA) There is no doubting Spain's pedigree, having won the World Cup in 2023 and the UEFA Nations League last year. They are a formidable outfit and this more than makes up for a lack of past success in the tournament. This is only the fifth time they have played at the Euros and their first appearance in the final. Rivalry Jess Park scored the winner when the sides met in February (Zac Goodwin/PA) Recent meetings have been fairly evenly matched, with England beating Spain 1-0 in the Nations League in February, but that result being reversed as Sarina Wiegman's side lost 2-1 last month. Spain, of course, edged the most prestigious fixture of them all with a 1-0 triumph in the World Cup final two years ago. Ones to watch Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati (left) is one of a number of dangerous Spanish players (Nick Potts/PA) Spain have no shortage of talent and their midfield trio of Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati and Patri Guijarro is outstanding. Forward Esther Gonzalez has her eyes on the golden boot and defender Laia Aleixandri is available again after suspension.
The Independent
40 minutes ago
- The Independent
Stefanos Tsitsipas splits with coach Goran Ivanisevic following heavy criticism after Wimbledon exit
Stefanos Tsitsipas has parted ways with coach Goran Ivanisevic after just a few months of working together. In a post on Instagram, the Greek 26-year-old called the partnership a "brief but intense experience". He said: "Working with Goran Ivanisevic was a brief but intense experience and a truly valuable chapter in my journey. "I'm thankful for the time, effort, and energy he dedicated to me and my team. As we are now following our separate ways, I have only respect for Goran - not just for what he's achieved in tennis, but also for who he is as a person. "I wish him nothing but the very best moving forward." Tsitsipas, once predicted to be a multiple grand slam champion, hired former Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic in May and spoke glowingly about the Croatian ahead of the Wimbledon Championships. But he has slipped down the rankings to 29 and withdrew after two sets of his first-round match against qualifier Valentin Royer because of a back problem. Ivanisevic, who spent a long spell coaching Novak Djokovic before briefly linking up with Elena Rybakina, shared some blunt words following Tsitsipas's Wimbledon exit. He told Serbian outlet Sportklub: "It's simple and it's not simple. "I've talked to him a lot of times. If he solves some things outside of tennis, then he has a chance and he'll return to where he belongs, because he's too good a player to be out of the top 10. "He wants, but he doesn't do anything. All 'I want, I want', but I don't see that progress. I was shocked. I have never seen a more unprepared player in my life. With this knee, I am three times more fit than him. This is really bad." Tsitsipas has reached two grand slam finals, at the French Open in 2021 and the Australian Open two years later, but has lost in the first round at three of the last four major tournaments.
