Amanda Anisimova claims that taking a vacation to tend to her mental health was exactly what she needed because she was feeling quite worn out. She thinks that the secret to restoring her passion for the game is to start afresh.
Anisimova accomplished a significant feat on Saturday in Toronto when she defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-2 to advance to her first WTA 1000 semifinal.
However, Anisimova, a semifinalist at the 2019 French Open, was intentionally sidelined just a year ago after announcing in May of 2023 that she was taking an indefinite vacation from tennis. Anisimova, a former world No. 21 player, stated at the time that her current condition prevented her from continuing to play. At the beginning of the 2024 season, the American felt prepared to make a comeback after missing seven months of action.
Anisimova explained after beating Sabalenka what the break did to her: “Yeah, I think that after the break I felt very refreshed and just had a different kind of head space, like more clarity. I was just very burned out before I took the break, so coming back, I was enjoying it a lot more, and the training and the process gave me a different perspective on it. Yeah, I think that I just gained a different perspective when it comes to travelling and the training process.”
She added: “As I said. I’m just really happy to be back, and I think taking the break really just helped me, because I honestly never took a break that was longer than like two weeks in my life, so I think I just needed that as a human being to just rest for once and just let my body recover.”
Anisimova and Jessica Pegula set up the WTA Toronto final. By overcoming Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-3, Pegula has moved to the WTA Toronto Masters final and has the opportunity to become the first tournament victor to win the title twice since 2000.
Amanda Anisimova in 2024
Ranked no.132, the American played her last match on the 11th of August when she overcame world no.15 Emma Navarro 6-3 2-6 6-2 in the semifinal in Toronto (draw)
.Presently, during this year Anisimova has achieved an overall 17-9 win-loss record. Amanda Anisimova’s latest run in Toronto was the best achievement of her season.
Amanda Anisimova will play the world no.6 Jessica Pegula in the final on Monday at 6:00 pm on CENTER COURT. Their actual head to head record is 2-0 for Pegula.
Jessica Pegula in 2024
Currently ranked no.6, Pegula played her last match on the 11th of August when she overcame world no.24 Diana Shnaider 6-4 6-3 in the semifinal in Toronto (draw).
Currently, during this year Pegula owns an overall 25-10 win-loss record. The American conquered 1 title in Berlin.
Jessica Pegula will face the world no.132 Amanda Anisimova in the final on Monday at 6:00 pm on CENTER COURT. Their actual record is 2-0 for Pegula.
Pegula has won 1 title in 2024 in Berlin.
Pegula won 6 titles in her career: 5 on hard courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of her titles)
Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula played each other only twice. Their record is 2-0 for Pegula. The last time they squared off, Jessica Pegula won 3-6 6-4 7-6(3) in the 2nd round in Charleston (Credit One Charleston Open) on the 2nd of April 2024.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.
Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula |
| Embed from Getty Images |