This was a life-changing two weeks for American tennis player Amanda Anisimova. Barely two years ago, she walked away from tennis. She was burned out. She was disheartened. She had been one of the best junior players in the world — she beat Coco Gauff in the U.S. Open Juniors final when she had just turned 16 — and was in the main draw at the French Open just months later.
But, like so many prodigies, she stalled. She mixed occasional upsets with crushing losses — and couldn’t break into the Top 20. After a series of early tournament losses, she walked away from the sport. “It’s become unbearable being at tennis tournaments,” she wrote on her Instagram account. She found interests away from the court for the first time in her life. She stayed away for more than eight months.
She didn’t have immediate success upon her return, but she talked about how she was enjoying the journey more. And she started having some success. She won her first big title in Qatar in February. She broke into the Top 15 for the first time. And then these two weeks at Wimbledon were like a dream. She rolled through her first three rounds without losing a set. She won a grueling match against Czech Linda Nosková. She made it to the semifinals, where she pulled off the upset of the tournament, taking out the No. 1 player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka. She became the first American to reach the Wimbledon final since Serena Williams.
Saturday, she faced off against Poland’s Iga Świątek in the Final.
And everything went wrong. Everything. The double bagel score — 6-0, 6-0 — does not even tell the story of how helpless Anisimova was. She couldn’t serve. She couldn’t return (usually her strength). She couldn’t hit her forehand in. She couldn’t hit her backhand in. Świątek played well — but if we’re being brutally honest, she didn’t have to.
Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe she was hurt. Whatever the reason, it was a living version of that nightmare where you’re running but not getting anywhere.
It was more than a little bit heartbreaking to watch.
I suppose this is the great fear in sports — and in life — that when your moment comes, you will simply not be up to the moment. These were an amazing two weeks for Amanda Anisimova. As a fan, you just hope she gets another chance on the biggest stage.
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