We were both very nervous," Anisimova shares about her semifinal win against Sabalenka at Wimbledon

Jules Hypolite

le 10/07/2025 à 19h28

2 min to read

Anisimova Sabalenka Wimbledon

Amanda Anisimova toppled world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to reach her first career Grand Slam final at Wimbledon.

This is a reward for the American player, who burst onto the scene early by reaching the semifinals of Roland Garros in 2019 at just 17 years old. However, she decided to take a break from the tour in 2023 due to burnout before returning last year and gradually regaining her form.

After winning the title in Doha this season, Anisimova will now aim for her first Grand Slam trophy against Iga Świątek on Saturday. In a press conference, she reflected on the pressure she felt during her semifinal and what helped her secure the win:

"It’s very emotional to be here in the final. I still can’t believe it. I’m happy to share this moment with my loved ones, and I’m just soaking in this journey. […] The second set was a real rollercoaster. I struggled to hold my serve. Against the world No. 1, you don’t have much room for error. She’s an incredibly tough opponent.

I knew I had to fix my serve issues and make as few mistakes as possible. Against Aryna, you have to play a perfect match. It wasn’t easy.

We were both hesitant throughout the match. It showed. We were very nervous with a first Wimbledon final on the line, but we gave everything on our serves.

I knew after losing the second set that I had to leave it all out there in the third. She raised her level and improved as the match went on. I knew I wasn’t going to win just from her mistakes, so I had to elevate my game as much as possible and be more aggressive.