There was a time when Amanda Anisimova wasn’t sure if she’d ever play professional tennis again, let alone reach a Grand Slam final. On Thursday at Wimbledon, that uncertainty gave way to a moment of vindication as she stood tall under the Centre Court sun, defeating Aryna Sabalenka to reach her first major final. More than just a career milestone, this feels like the culmination of a long, winding journey back to belief.
The Biggest Upset of Her Career
After the match, Anisimova’s disbelief was plain to see and to hear.
“This doesn’t feel real right now. If you told me I’d be in the final of Wimbledon, I wouldn’t believe you. To be in the final is indescribable.”
Anisimova’s rise to this point has never been linear.
A teenage semifinalist at Roland Garros in 2019, her early promise was almost too much, too soon. Personal tragedy, recurring injuries, and the crushing weight of expectation derailed her momentum.
Then came the seven-month break in 2023, a decision she made to prioritize her mental health. She left the sport ranked outside the top 150, uncertain of her future and missing Wimbledon qualifying entirely.
Twelve months later, she’s in the Wimbledon final, not as a wildcard story or a fluke, but as one of the most complete and dangerous players on the tour.
No Longer the Future, She’s the Present
For years, Anisimova was tagged as part of the sport’s future. Now she’s firmly in its present. Her 2025 season has been building toward something like this.
A WTA 1000 finalist in Doha and again at Queen’s Club in the lead-up to Wimbledon, a return to the Top 20, and a growing reputation as one of the most fearless returners in the game. Her tennis has matured. So has her mindset.
There’s also a larger cultural significance to her run. In an era when athletes across sports are becoming more open about mental health, Anisimova’s return is more than a feel-good story. It’s a quiet rebuke to the idea that time away is time lost. Her resurgence is a reminder that stepping back can be the first step forward.
The Bigger Picture
Regardless of what happens in Saturday’s final against either Iga Swiatek or Belinda Bencic, Anisimova has already redrawn the arc of her career. She is now the first woman born in the 2000s to reach a Wimbledon final, and the first American to make it this far at SW19 since Serena Williams in 2019. She has done it on her terms, in her own time.
For a player once viewed as a cautionary tale of what might have been, Amanda Anisimova now stands as something far more powerful: a case study in resilience, and a name that belongs not just in conversations about tennis’s future, but at the very heart of its present.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – Imagn Images
