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Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Inside Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova's plush £1m home after bargain deal
Amanda Anisimova, who will face Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon women's singles final after beating Aryna Sabalenka, has made some wise decisions away from the court Amanda Anisimova is smashing it on and off the court as she gears up for her first-ever Wimbledon final. Anisimova stunned world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to reach the women's final just two years after quitting the sport. The American, 23, stayed cool on a sweltering Centre Court to win a thrilling semi-final 6-4 4-6 6-4. Her win was all the more remarkable because Anisimova had to take an extended break from tennis in 2023 to prioritise her mental health. Speaking after the victory, she said: "To be honest, if you told me then I'd be in the final at Wimbledon, I would not believe you. To be in this spot is not easy. To be in the final is indescribable. "This doesn't feel real right now. Aryna is such a tough competitor and I was absolutely dying out there. She's an inspiration to me and so many other people." In Saturday's showpiece, Anisimova will face Iga Swiatek, with both players eyeing the massive £3million champion's purse, while the runner-up will receive a substantial £1.52million consolation. Anisimova may decide to spend the money on her plush Miami apartment, purchased in 2020 for a snip at £640,000. It is now worth an estimated £1million. Anisimova secured a good deal on the property, which was originally listed for around £700,000 before being lowered to £650,000, per According to property records, Anisimova's mother is also listed on the deed, presumably because she was just 18 when the property was purchased. The flat boasted "elegant finishes" after a major makeover before Anisimova's purchase. When she isn't travelling the world, she is often entertaining family and friends who live in Florida city. Anisimova's win against Sabalenka felt extra sweet as it unfolded before her sister Maria and nephew Jaxon, four, who jetted in from the US earlier in the week. She said: "I have my beautiful family over there, my sister, nephew and brother-in-law. What a journey the last two weeks have been." 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.'
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Anisimova's resurgence adds extra layer of mystique to Swiatek final
On a quiet outside clay court at the Hungarian national tennis centre in Budapest nine years ago a pair of outstanding 15-year-olds tussled in front of a few dozen spectators. Although the duel offered glimpses into the potential from both sides of the net, Iga Swiatek defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-2 en route to Poland's triumph over the US in the Junior Fed Cup. Even though Anisimova endured a difficult afternoon, memories of those days immediately drew a smile to her face. 'I used to enjoy those Fed Cup trips a lot,' she says. 'We had a lot of fun. 'She was playing very well. She was a great junior – I remember a lot of coaches were saying that she's going to be a big deal one day. They were right.' Many coaches said similar things about Anisimova in those days and their instincts were also correct. On Saturday Swiatek and Anisimova, now 24 and 23, will meet in the Wimbledon singles final. Despite being born three months apart, this will be their first professional meeting. For both of them this has been a long time coming. During their time as juniors, Anisimova immediately flitted ahead of her contemporaries. She was a junior US Open champion in 2017, at the age of 16, and by the time Swiatek won her junior grand slam title at Wimbledon a year later, Anisimova had graduated to the professional tours. Her first peak was marked by an unforgettable semi-final run at the 2019 French Open and it seemed inevitable that her success would continue. At the same tournament, Swiatek had her own modest breakthrough as she reached the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time. Although she was the first from their age group to make it to the highest levels of the sport, Anisimova's rapid rise soon halted. She struggled with the gruelling nature of being a professional and with grief after her father's death, taking an eight-month mental health break before returning at the beginning of last year. Her performances this year have shown the importance of taking a step back and moving at your own pace instead of constantly looking to push through difficulties and pain. With her run this week, she will break into the top 10 from her ranking of 12, rising at least to No 7. Anisimova has peerless shot-making abilities – almost nobody on the tour is blessed with her timing, clean technique and hand-eye coordination, which allow her to generate such destructive power from all parts of the court with ease. Yet the biggest revelation on the way to a maiden grand slam final has been the American's competitive abilities and toughness. For much of her career, her talent has been in dialogue with her mental and physical vulnerabilities. After managing the pressure of being the heavy favourite in every match en route to the semi-finals, she was tough in the many moments Sabalenka could have turned the match. While Anisimova's path became difficult, Swiatek kept on rising. She is the greatest player of her generation, a five-time grand slam champion. Despite the past 12 months marking one of the most challenging periods she arrived here ranked No 3 in the world. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Swiatek's inability to win a fourth consecutive French Open title, it turns out, has been a blessing in disguise. Instead of catching her breath after yet another French Open title, her relative underperformance on clay allowed her to immediately prepare for the grass-court season. The additional time on the surface has allowed her to gain more comfort than ever before. Swiatek's 6-2, 6-0 demolition of Belinda Bencic in the semi-finals was the type of dominant performance she has inflicted on almost every opponent on other surfaces. Anisimova is one of the few not to have faced Swiatek's wrath as a professional and the lack of familiarity between them adds a layer of mystique to this encounter. In many ways, Anisimova fits the profile of the type of opponent Swiatek can sometimes be vulnerable to on faster surfaces. She is a devastating shotmaker who can take returns early, rob Swiatek of time with her early, flat ball-striking and flatten the Pole's second serve. However, Swiatek's tendency to rise up and produce her best level on the biggest occasions speaks for itself. She is 5-0 in grand slam finals and 16-2 in big finals, matches that often have not been close. Although Swiatek and Anisimova have taken different paths since those days in Budapest, they have backed up their early promise and established themselves on the biggest stages. Now they will renew their nine-year rivalry with everything on the line.
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Anisimova's resurgence adds extra layer of mystique to Swiatek final
On a quiet outside clay court at the Hungarian national tennis centre in Budapest nine years ago a pair of outstanding 15-year-old players tussled in front of a few dozen spectators. Although the duel offered glimpses into the potential from both sides of the net, eventually Iga Swiatek defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-2 en route to Poland's triumph over the United States in the Junior Fed Cup. Even though Anisimova endured a difficult afternoon, memories of those days immediately drew a smile to her face. 'I used to enjoy those Fed Cup trips a lot,' Anisimova says. 'We had a lot of fun on those trips. She was playing very well. She was a great junior – I remember a lot of coaches were saying that she's going to be a big deal one day. Obviously they were right.' Many coaches said similar things about Anisimova in those days and their instincts were also correct. On Saturday Swiatek and Anisimova, now 24 and 23, will meet in the Wimbledon singles final. Despite being born just three months apart, this will be their ever first professional meeting. For both players this has been a long time coming. During their time as juniors, Anisimova immediately flitted ahead of her contemporaries. She was already a junior US Open champion in 2017 at the age of 16 and by the time Swiatek won her junior grand slam title at Wimbledon a year later, Anisimova had graduated to the professional tours. Her first peak was marked by an unforgettable semi-final run at the 2019 French Open and it seemed inevitable that her success would continue. At the same tournament, Swiatek had her own modest breakthrough as she reached the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time. Although she was the first from their age group to make it to the highest levels of the sport, Anisimova's rapid rise soon lost momentum. She struggled with the gruelling nature of professional tennis and grief following her father's death, taking an eight-month mental health break in 2023 before returning at the beginning of last year. Her breakthrough performances this year have shown the importance of taking a step back and moving at your own pace instead of constantly looking to push through difficulties and pain. With her run this week, she will break into the top 10 from her current ranking of 12, rising at least to No 7. Alongside Anisimova's peerless shot-making abilities – almost nobody in the world is blessed with her timing, clean technique and hand-eye coordination, which allow her to generate such destructive power from all parts of the court with ease – the biggest revelation from her run to her maiden grand slam final has been her competitive abilities and toughness. For much of Anisimova's career, her talent has been in dialogue with her mental and physical vulnerabilities. After managing the pressure of being the heavy favourite in every match en route to the semi-finals, she was so tough in the many moments that Sabalenka could have turned the match again. While Anisimova's path became difficult, Swiatek kept on rising. She is now the greatest player of her generation, a five-time grand slam champion. Despite the past 12 months marking one of the most challenging periods of her career, Swiatek still arrived at Wimbledon ranked No 3 in the WTA race. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Swiatek's inability to win a fourth consecutive French Open title, it turns out, has actually been a blessing in disguise. Instead of catching her breath after yet another French Open title, her relative underperformance on clay allowed her to immediately prepare for the grass-court season and her additional time on the surface has allowed her to gain more comfort than ever before. Swiatek's 6-2, 6-0 demolition of Belinda Bencic in the semi-finals was the type of dominant performance she has inflicted on almost every player on the tour on other surfaces. Anisimova, of course, is one of the few players who have not faced Swiatek's wrath as a professional and the lack of familiarity between them adds a layer of mystique to this encounter. In many ways, Anisimova fits the profile of the type of player that Swiatek can sometimes be vulnerable to on faster surfaces. She is a devastating, offensive shotmaker who can take returns early, rob Swiatek of time with her early, flat ball-striking and flatten the Pole's second serve. However, Swiatek's tendency to rise up and produce her best level on the biggest occasions speaks for itself. She is 5-0 in grand slam finals and 16-2 overall in big finals, matches that often have not been close. Although Swiatek and Anisimova have taken completely different paths since those days in Budapest, they have both backed up their early promise and established themselves on the biggest stages of their sport. Now they will renew their nine-year rivalry with everything on the line.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Who is Amanda Anisimova? 23-year-old American set to face Iga Świątek in Wimbledon final
American tennis player Amanda Anisimova is headed to the Wimbledon women's singles finals after upsetting No. 1 contender Aryna Sabalenka in three sets on Thursday. In their semifinal matchup at the legendary Center Court, the pair scrapped to three, hard-fought 6-4 sets for the 23-year-old to overcome and secure a spot in the championship match. Anisimova put Sabalenka on notice by winning the first set. Despite dropping the second, Anisimova kept her composure through the third and cruised toward winning the match. Ahead of Anisimova's title effort against Iga Świątek, here is what we know about the No. 12-ranked player in the world. Advertisement Hailing from Aventura, Florida, Anisimova is no stranger to upsetting the greats. As a junior, she wrapped up her amateur career with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Coco Gauff in girls' singles at the US Open before turning pro. Anisimova had a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 2 in 2016 and was part of the United States squad that won the Junior Fed Cup the following year. Anisimova made her professional debut by competing in the 2016 US Open qualifiers as a wild card at the age of 14, winning her first of three singles titles in 2019 at the Copa Colsanitas. Anisimova followed it up with wins at the 2022 Melbourne Summer Set 2 and the 2025 Qatar TotalEnergies Open. Advertisement Her upcoming match is Anisimova's best campaign at a Grand Slam tournament to date, surpassing her previous best performance — a semifinal appearance at the French Open in 2019. At Wimbledon, she incurred a third-round exit in 2024 and a quarterfinal loss in 2022 after beating Gauff in the third round. She has also reached the fourth round of the Australian Open on three occasions, including 2019, 2022 and 2024. Anisimova holds a singles record of 184–109 and a 4-8 doubles record. She is facing Świątek after wins over Renata Zarazúa, Dalma Gálfi, Linda Nosková, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sabalenka so far in the tournament. Anisimova's impressive run makes her the first American to compete in the Wimbledon ladies' singles final since Serena Williams in 2019, and the youngest American to accomplish the feat since ... you guessed it — Serena Williams — in 2004.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Who is Amanda Anisimova? What we know about US tennis player ahead of her Wimbledon finals match versus Iga Świątek
American tennis player Amanda Anisimova is headed to the Wimbledon women's singles finals after upsetting No. 1 contender Aryna Sabalenka in three sets on Thursday. In their semifinal matchup at the legendary Center Court, the pair scrapped to three, hard-fought 6-4 sets for the 23-year-old to overcome and secure a spot in the championship match. Anisimova put Sabalenka on notice by winning the first set. Despite dropping the second, Anisimova kept her composure through the third and cruised toward winning the match. Ahead of Anisimova's title effort against Iga Świątek, here is what we know about the No. 12-ranked player in the world. Advertisement Hailing from Aventura, Florida, Anisimova is no stranger to upsetting the greats. As a junior, she wrapped up her amateur career with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Coco Gauff at the US Open before turning pro. Anisimova had a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 2 in 2016 and was part of the United States squad that won the Junior Fed Cup the following year. Anisimova made her professional debut by competing in the 2016 US Open qualifiers as a wild card at the age of 14, winning her first of three singles titles in 2019 at the Copa Colsanitas. Anisimova followed it up with wins at the 2022 Melbourne Summer Set 2 and the 2025 Qatar TotalEnergies Open. Advertisement Her upcoming match is Anisimova's best campaign at a Grand Slam tournament to date, surpassing her previous best performance — a semifinal appearance at the French Open in 2019. At Wimbledon, she incurred a third-round exit in 2024 and a quarterfinal loss in 2022 after beating Gauff in the third round. She has also reached the fourth round of the Australian Open on three occasions, including 2019, 2022 and 2024. Anisimova holds a singles record of 184–109 and a 4-8 doubles record. She is facing Świątek after wins over Renata Zarazúa, Dalma Gálfi, Linda Nosková, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sabalenka so far in the tournament. Anisimova's impressive run makes her the first American to compete in the Wimbledon ladies' singles final since Serena Williams in 2019, and the youngest American to accomplish the feat since ... you guessed it — Serena Williams — in 2004.
