At Wimbledon on Thursday, Amanda Anisimova took another heartwarming step in her ongoing journey back after a mental health break.
The American star upstaged world No.1 and tournament favourite Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling three-set semifinal on Centre Court, sealing a place in her first Grand Slam final.
This time last year, Anisimova was competing in Wimbledon qualifying while ranked 189th and failed to make the main draw.
Twelve months on, she’s assured of a top-10 debut and will compete against Iga Swiatek for the biggest title of her career.
“I feel amazing. I mean, it's so exciting to be in the final here,” Anisimova said. “And yeah, I think I still can't believe it in a way.
“When I came here, I said that it was a super special feeling to be seeded here after losing in the qualies last year. Despite however I was going to do here, just being able to be in the top again at a career-high [ranking of No.12] just meant a lot to me.
“The rest I just told myself I'm going to compete and enjoy every moment out there.”
Her obvious joy being on court, and satisfaction with her increasing success, contrasts sharply with her headspace two years ago.
Anisimova announced in May 2023 she would take an indefinite break from tennis to address her mental health and counter burnout, saying it had “become unbearable being at tennis tournaments”.
Painting and listening to music were among the many outlets Anisimova explored as she reframed her approach to her daily life – routines which have continued into her comeback.
She returned to competition in January 2024 and, ranked outside the top 400, made a run to the fourth round of the Australian Open, where Sabalenka stopped her.
She ended 2024 inside the top 40 and has been brilliant in 2025, winning the WTA 1000 title in Doha and reaching the final at Queen’s Club. She also reached the fourth round at Roland Garros, where Sabalenka again stopped her.
Having lost her first four matches to the clean-hitting Anisimova – including at the Australian Open and Roland Garros in 2019 – Sabalenka was starting to control the rivalry, winning three of their past four encounters.
Entering their Wimbledon semifinal, the biggest of their nine career meetings, Sabalenka and Anisimova were locked at two wins apiece on the Grand Slam stage.
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This was Anisimova’s second major semifinal, six years on from Roland Garros where, as a 17-year-old phenom, she lost to eventual champion Ash Barty from a set and 3-0 ahead.
This time around, with significantly more tennis and life experience behind her, she competed with a different outlook.
“To be honest, if you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe you,” the 23-year-old said on court following her 6-4 4-6 6-4 triumph.
“At least not this soon, because it’s been a year turnaround since coming back, and to be in this spot, I mean it’s not easy.
“So many people dream of competing on this incredible court. It’s been such a privilege to compete here, and to be in the final is just indescribable, honestly.”
It has been a brilliant fortnight for Anisimova, who opened her Wimbledon campaign with a 6-0 6-0 win over Yulia Putintseva.
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Since then she has navigated her way through a tough succession of matches, including back-to-back three-set wins over Dalma Galfi and Linda Noskova to reach the quarterfinals.
There, buoyed by the presence of her family, she survived a second-set fightback from Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to record her best Wimbledon result, setting up her semifinal with Sabalenka.
“I think that's a really special message that I think I've been able to show,” Anisimova said, “because when I took my break, 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.
“That was a little hard to digest because 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 been incredibly special to me.”
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Anisimova is kinder to herself these days. She allows herself time off whenever a Grand Slam campaign comes to an end, tuning out from anything to do with tennis and instead choosing to spend her time with friends or family.
But her focus is not entirely self-directed.
Shining through in her comments during Wimbledon is the gratitude she has felt for sharing the court with icons of the game, like three-time major champion Sabalenka and now Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam winner also targeting her first Wimbledon title.
“I always tell myself ahead of the game to enjoy every moment, not really concentrate on the finish line or the outcome, and just to really stay in the present,” Anisimova said.
“Even today, I mean, I was forgetting there was a final on the line because I had Aryna across from me. I was just so focused on that.
“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.”