Anisimova's career comes full circle after burnout fears
But instead of providing a launch pad for her career, that achievement led to a downward spiral.
From mid-August that year to the following May, Anisimova failed to win back-to-back matches in any of the 10 tournaments she entered, winning a paltry four matches in total during that miserable nine-month run.
With her time on the tour taking a toll on her mental health, in May 2023 she pulled the plug on her tennis year to try and get away from it all, after realising that she was simply burned out from the never-ending cycle of defeats.
When she made her comeback to the Grand Slam stage at the Australian Open last year, her ranking had plummeted to 442 but, now rejuvenated and ready to go again, that statistic did not faze her.
She made it to the last 16 before running into eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka, and rather than getting down in the dumps, Anisimova took it as proof that her career was back on an upward trajectory as it was the first time since Wimbledon 2022 that she had won three successive matches.
Even when she failed to qualify for Wimbledon last year, while ranked 189th, she knew that mentally she was in a better place than she had been 12 months earlier.
Fast forward 12 months and things are looking bright and sunny again for Anisimova - albeit at a soggy Wimbledon.
Seeded 13th, she is back in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon following a nerve-shredding 6-2 5-7 6-4 victory over Czech 30th seed Linda Noskova - a result that will allow her to break into the world's top 10 for the first time.
"I was just super excited to compete here ... and just being seeded was already really special," said the 23-year-old, who opened her Wimbledon account by handing Yulia Putintseva the dreaded 6-0 6-0 double bagel in the first round.
"I felt really good about myself because I think it was just a huge reminder of all the work and progress I've made so far this year.
"I knew that every match was going to be a battle, which it has been. I've just been really enjoying the journey here."
With French Open champion Gauff having suffered a shock first round exit at Wimbledon, Anisimova and 10th seed Emma Navarro, who plays her last 16 match against Mirra Andreeva on Monday, are the only Americans left with a chance of lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish come Saturday.
Anisimova will fancy her chances of reaching the semi-finals at the grasscourt major for the first time considering she holds a 3-0 win-loss record against her next opponent, Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
"Ever since I took my break, I just found this new perspective and this newfound sense of fighting for everything and accepting the challenges that come and embracing them," said Anisimova, born in New Jersey to Russian immigrants.
"A lot of things have changed ... I feel like my professionalism and work ethic has taken a whole 360. Everything is centred around my tennis and how I can prepare the best that I can.
"It's super special and a surreal feeling to be in the top 10. If I thought to myself last year ... that I'll be breaking the top 10 by now, it would be pretty surprising to me, considering where I was last summer."
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Arthur Ashe, who won his historic title here 50 years ago, once remarked that the gap between the world No 1 and No 10 was as great as that between ten and 100. You did not need expert eyes to see that Norrie's current ranking — No 61, though this run will lift it — was cruelly exposed. "I was the underdog and he just took care of things really well," said Norrie. "It was a good experience to play the best player in the world, on his favourite surface. I didn't take my chances and that showed in the score. "When he's enjoying his tennis like this and he's serving that well, he's the favourite to win again for sure and the level he is playing is unreal. He's got so many options - he's got power and then he plays a drop shot. His physicality and movement makes it very tough for you. "It was one of the biggest matches of my career but for him that was probably just another match. He just played much better than me in the big moments and it all seemed to happen very quickly. 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"I struggled a bit in the first rounds of the championship but it's started to click now and feel really good. "Taylor is having a really successful season and he's playing some great tennis on grass, his aggressive game really suits this surface. "I need to find an even higher level than I did against Cameron, it doesn't get any easier. The key will be not to let him dominate the game. "This is my 23rd match in my winning streak but I don't want to stop, the players have a target on me and I know that." Fritz produced two outstanding sets to take control of his quarter-final against Karen Khachanov before inexplicably losing the third. He regained his composure, however, to complete a 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 win. It is further evidence of the American's steely mindset, cultivated in recent years as he has become a consistent presence in the second week of majors. 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This time I went into the match much more calm and relaxed. "I've just been really proud of how I've been mentally all week. I was about as close to being out of the tournament in the first round as you can be. "I think grass can be an equaliser. I trust how I'm playing. I truly believe that, playing the way I did in the first two sets today, there is not much any opponent can do."
