Amanda Anisimova is thrilled and eager to be working hard on the tennis court on the day of her first Hologic WTA Tour match in eight months. The 22-year-old American paused when asked to recall the last time she had been this joyful playing tennis.
Anisimova said in an interview from Auckland: “Probably last year [2022] around Wimbledon. It’s been a long time, so it’s just really nice to feel this way again.”
She has had a difficult journey back. Anisimova, a junior US Open winner, stated in May of this year that she was taking an indefinite break from the sport due to fatigue and mental health issues.
She wrote earlier: “I’ve been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022. It’s become unbearable to be at tennis tournaments. At this point, my priority is my mental well-being, so I am taking a break for some time. I’ve worked as hard as I could to push through it.”
Anisimova decided to return to training in September, and with new coach Marc Lucero at her side, she soon found the enjoyment of the grind again. She might not always be able to control where the tennis ball lands, but she certainly could control her effort, commitment, and mindset. All of a sudden, she felt in control once more.
She added: “Once I started training, I was enjoying it. I was trying to slowly progress back so I didn’t have any setbacks. I’ve grown a lot and matured over the last year in how I want to prepare myself, my training style, and doing everything right. Pushing myself as hard as I can and taking recovery seriously, I want to do my best every single day.”
Anisimova concluded her discussion: “It was hard to balance that in the past. But I feel that now I’m able to do that more, starting with just keeping my hotel room organized and trying to make it more like home. I’m trying not to live out of a suitcase. Now I put everything away. ‘Let’s get settled here and hopefully, you’ll stay for a long time,’ having that mindset.”
Anisimova in Auckland, ranking, and results in 2024
WLWWLWLLWW Ranked world no. 373, the American has a 1-0 match record in 2024. Amanda is playing in Auckland, where she bested the world no. 60. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-5 6-4.
Amanda Anisimova will face world no. 36, Marie Bouzkova, in the second round. In the past, they have never played each other so far on the main tour.
