LONDON (AP) — Amanda Anisimova kept apologizing to the spectators at Centre Court — for her performance in a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final and for the emotions that made it hard to deliver a speech afterward.
Through it all, Anisimova, a 23-year-old American in her first major title match, made sure to thank her mother for making a rare trip to watch her daughter play in person.
“My mom is the most selfless person I know, and she’s done everything to get me to this point in my life,” said Anisimova, whose father died in 2019 when she was 17.
Then, turning to address her mother, Anisimova continued as her eyes welled with tears: “So thank you for being here and breaking the superstition of flying in.”
And then in a tongue-in-cheek reference to her 57-minute defeat, Anisimova said with a laugh, “It’s definitely not why I lost today.”
“I’m so happy that I get to share this moment and for you to be here and witness this in person. I know you don’t get to see me live, playing, that much anymore, because you do so much for my sister and I, and you always have,” Anisimova said. “I love you so much.”
Just participating in a Grand Slam final — after eliminating No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, to boot — represented quite a success for Anisimova, a 23-year-old who was born in New Jersey and grew up in Florida from age 3.
She was a top player in her teens, beating Coco Gauff in the 2017 U.S. Open junior final, and quickly made a mark as a professional by reaching the French Open quarterfinals two years later.
In May 2023, she announced she was taking a mental health break from the tour because of burnout.
Anisimova returned to action in 2024, but her ranking of 189th just 12 months ago was too low to get into the field automatically at an event like Wimbledon, so she unsuccessfully attempted to qualify for the tournament.
“No matter what happened today,” Swiatek told her, “you should be proud of the work you’re doing.”
On Saturday, she became just the second woman in the Open era, which began in 1968, to get to a Grand Slam final a year after losing in qualifying. And now she will break into the top 10 for the first time.
After the match, she told her team she appreciates them for “just taking care of me” during “the whole journey it’s been, this whole past year.”
“I know I didn’t have enough today, but I’m going to keep putting in the work,” Anisimova said. “And I always believe in myself, so I hope to be back here one day.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
