Amanda Anisimova said her fighting spirit was what had carried her through to the 2025 Wimbledon final.
It’s that same fighting spirit she’ll need to lean on more than ever in order to move beyond her last match of the tournament.
Anisimova confronted Iga Swiatek in her first Grand Slam final and was beaten 6-0 6-0 by the Polish superstar, who improved her own record in Slam finals to a perfect 6-0.
It was the first Wimbledon women’s singles final since 1911 to feature a double bagel, and just the second Grand Slam final to be determined by that scoreline in the Open era.
In her post-match press conference, Anisimova was realistic when analysing the defeat, yet determined to use the experience as an opportunity for growth.
“It was a bit tough to digest obviously, especially during and right after. It's not how I would have wanted my first Grand Slam final to go,” she said.
“I think I was a little bit in shock after, as well. But I told myself, ‘I'll definitely come out stronger after this’. I mean, that's not an easy thing to go through, losing 0 and 0 in a Grand Slam final.
“If anything, I can look at it as a positive and something I can look at as motivation going forward. Obviously there's a lot of things I need to do to progress.”
Until that point of the tournament, Anisimova had enjoyed a brilliant run.
She opened her own campaign with a 6-0 6-0 win over dangerous grasscourter Yulia Putintseva, then showed outstanding grit and fighting spirit to hold off Dalma Galfi and 30th seed Linda Noskova in back-to-back three setters to reach the quarterfinals.
There, she survived a late fightback from Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to set up a semifinal with world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, whom she outplayed on Centre Court – in another intense three-set affair – to reach her first major final.
Even before the nerves of a maiden Grand Slam final kicked in, she was already physically drained.
The empty tank could have contributed to her serving performance; she landed less than half of her first serves and won just 26 per cent of first-serve points.
Anisimova was clear all these areas of her game required attention as she moved forward.
“I think, if anything, it's my physicality that I need to work on,” she said.
“To be able to last two weeks in a Grand Slam is definitely something that you need to work a lot on. It's not an easy feat.
“There's a lot of room for improvement. I think it's more experience for me on how to handle nerves. It's my first slam final, so at least I have that experience now.
“I don't really know what was going on with my serve… I'm sure me and my team will get to the bottom of it. It's definitely something that I need to work on because I feel like the last two weeks I've dug myself out of so many holes because I've been struggling so much on my first serve.
“To honestly make it to the finals of Wimbledon with a mediocre serve… I obviously have to look back at film, but I feel like I've been fighting my way through with an average serve.”
With her run to the Wimbledon final, Anisimova rises to a career-high ranking of world No.7 – her top-10 debut.
Her first WTA 1000 title in Doha, a trip to the fourth round at Roland Garros and a finals appearance at Queen’s have been other highlights in 2025, during which Anisimova has won 31 of 44 matches.
Just 23 years of age, Anisimova has already been forced to contend with the death of her father, and eight months out of the game in 2023 to address her mental health.
Her incredible strength of character is already obvious, and this resilience will help stand her in good stead as she navigates the next step forward in her career.
“When I got back to the locker room, I kind of had that switch in my mind of: ‘You know what? This is probably going to make you stronger in the end,” Anisimova said, “and to not really put myself down after today and just try and focus on how I can come out stronger after this.
“I think it's honestly, like, a fork in the road. It's whatever direction you want to go in. I'm going to choose the path of working towards my goals and to try and keep improving, hopefully put myself in more positions and opportunities like today.
“I think that's going to help me reach my goals.”