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Amanda Anisimova will face Iga Swiatek for the first time as a professional in the Wimbledon final – but she has known for a decade that the Pole is a formidable foe.
American Anisimova is the latest unexpected Wimbledon finalist in the women’s singles after defeating world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the last four.
Yet in some ways it should be no surprise that the 23-year-old has found her way onto the sport’s biggest stage because it was where she appeared destined to be heading as a teenager.
She defeated Coco Gauff to win the US Open junior title just after her 16th birthday, and by 17 was a top-30 star and a French Open semi-finalist.
But then came the sudden death of her father from a heart attack and difficulties with form and injury, and by early 2023 Anisimova felt so burnt out by the sport that she took an indefinite break.

With restoring her mental health the priority, the Floridian revived a childhood love of art, selling her paintings to raise money for charity.
In January last year, Anisimova felt ready to return to the tour and, six years on from her Roland Garros breakthrough, she is back challenging for the sport’s biggest titles.
Anisimova will leave Wimbledon as a top-10 player, and maybe a grand slam champion, although to achieve that she will have to get the better of five-time major winner Swiatek.
Their only meeting on court came nine years ago in the Junior Fed Cup, when Swiatek, who is three months older, came out on top.
“She was a great junior,” Anisimova said. “I remember a lot of coaches were saying that she’s going to be a big deal one day. Yeah, obviously they were right.
“Iga is such an unbelievable player. She’s also been an inspiration to me. Her work ethic and all of her achievements have been really inspiring. I’m sure it will be an amazing match again.
“Getting to compete against an unbelievable player again is going to be super special. Hopefully I can bring some high-quality tennis and make it a battle out there. I’m just going to go out and enjoy every moment and try to not think about what’s on the line there.”
Swiatek is happy to see her former junior rival, who lost in qualifying here last year, back in the big time, saying: “Anybody who struggles and gets back at a better level deserves a lot of respect.
“For sure, Amanda is one of these players that kept going forwards in tough situations. I always wished her the best. Good job for her.”
Anisimova’s run here has come amid the best season of her career, and she can take confidence from the fact players with with her powerful game have often proved troublesome for Swiatek.
“She knows how to play on grass,” added the Pole. “With her game style, the surface fits her. So it’s going to be a challenge.”
Swiatek has suddenly found the surface fits her well, having never previously been beyond the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
Coming off a disappointing campaign on her favoured clay, with the former world number one dropping to eighth in the rankings, Swiatek is only a marginally less surprising finalist than Anisimova.
She certainly has more experience of grand slam finals than her opponent – and has never lost one – but Anisimova is confident, having taken a circuitous route to this moment, that she will not get stage fright.
“I think for sure that’s going to be coming into play a bit, keeping our nerves at bay and staying composed,” she said.
“I would say we’re both pretty experienced. Obviously I haven’t been in a grand slam final before, but I’ve experienced a lot of moments similar and a lot of high-stakes matches. I feel like I’m pretty prepared.”


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Wimbledon

Wimbledon final: Anisimova ready for first meeting with ‘inspiration’ Swiatek

Amanda Anisimova is overcome with joy after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the Wimbledon semi-finals. Photo: Xinhua

Iga Swiatek celebrates after beating Belinda Bencic to reach the Wimbledon final. Photo: Xinhua

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Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates winning his semi-finals match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia at Wimbledon on Friday. Photo: EPA

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his semi-final match against Italy’s Jannik Sinner on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Italy’s Jannik Sinner shakes hands with Serbia’s Novak Djokovic after winning his semi-final match on Friday. Photo: Reuters

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Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning his men’s singles semi-final match against Taylor Fritz. Photo: Reuters

Taylor Fritz leaves Centre Court after losing to Carlos Alcaraz. Photo: EPA

Sport

Tennis

The American is the latest unexpected Wimbledon finalist in the women’s singles after defeating world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the last four


The American is the latest unexpected Wimbledon finalist in the women’s singles after defeating world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the last four.


Amanda Anisimova

Iga Swiatek

Wimbledon final: Anisimova ready for first meeting with ‘inspiration’ Swiatek

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The American is the latest unexpected Wimbledon finalist in the women’s singles after defeating world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the last four

The American is the latest unexpected Wimbledon finalist in the women’s singles after defeating world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the last four