Amanda Anisimova silences doubters with stunning Wimbledon final run
Anisimova will now face five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in Saturday's title match. The achievement marks a remarkable turnaround for the former teen prodigy, who stepped away from tennis in 2023 due to depression caused by the pressures of early success.
After her breakthrough run to the 2019 French Open semi-finals at just 17, Anisimova struggled to meet expectations. Critics warned that her hiatus would jeopardize her career, but she has proven them wrong with a resurgent 2025 season. Following a drop outside the top 400 upon her return, she claimed the Qatar Open in February and reached the Queen's Club final in June.
Her Wimbledon success guarantees a top-10 WTA ranking next week, a first for the American. Reflecting on her journey, Anisimova said, 'When I took my break, a lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game. Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself—that's been incredibly special.'
Anisimova is only the second player in the Open era to reach a Grand Slam final after losing in qualifying the previous year. 'For it to happen here is still a little bit unbelievable to me,' she admitted.
Her upcoming clash with Swiatek holds sentimental value, as the pair last met in the Junior Fed Cup finals. 'Iga is such an unbelievable player. She's been an inspiration to me,' Anisimova said. 'Getting to compete against her again is going to be super special.' - AFP
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The Star
22 minutes ago
- The Star
Tennis-Alcaraz says Sinner rivalry is a class apart
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 13, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner hugs Spain's Carlos Alcaraz after winning the men's final REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge LONDON (Reuters) -Carlos Alcaraz said he could hold his head high despite being unseated from his Wimbledon throne by Jannik Sinner on Sunday and the Spaniard praised their hot rivalry for being several notches higher than the others on the men's tour. Alcaraz's bid for a third straight title at the All England Club ended with a 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 loss on Centre Court, leaving him to digest his first Grand Slam final defeat. "It's always a bad feeling losing matches. It's a little bit worse when you lose in a final," said Alcaraz, who narrowly beat Sinner in a five-set humdinger at the French Open last month. "I'm just proud about everything I've done in the last four weeks on grass at London. I leave Wimbledon, the court, with my head held really high because I did everything that I could. "I played against someone who played an unbelievable game. So I'm just a little bit sad about losing, but with my head held really high." Alcaraz said his rivalry with Sinner was great for the pair and also for tennis, which has had to endure the retirements of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray in recent years with fellow great Novak Djokovic in the twilight of a glorious career. The young duo have now shared eight of the last nine Grand Slam titles, with each winning four. "Every time we play each other, I think our level is really high. We don't see a level like this ... I don't see any player playing against each other, having the level that we're playing when we face each other," Alcaraz added. EXTRA ATTENTION "This rivalry, it's becoming better and better ... we're playing in the finals of Grand Slams, finals of Masters and the best tournaments in the world. It's going to get better. "I'm just really grateful for that because it gives me the opportunity to just give my 100% every practice, every day, just to be better. The level that I have to maintain and I have to raise if I want to beat Jannik is really high." Sinner's coach Darren Cahill admitted that while the Italian did not take any of his rivals for granted, he does pay extra attention to Alcaraz. "Jannik watches more Carlos matches than he does anybody else because he's fascinated with the improvements that are coming in his game, and he's pushing us as coaches to make sure that he's improving as a tennis player," Cahill said. Sinner, who ended Alcaraz's 24-match winning run across all events and 20-match streak at Wimbledon, was most pleased with ending his own run of five successive defeats against the Spaniard. "When you lose several times against someone, it's not easy," said Sinner, who narrowed his win-loss record against Alcaraz to 5-8. "At the same time in the past, I felt I was close ... I never pushed myself down. I keep looking up to Carlos because even today I felt like he was doing a couple of things better than I did. So that's something we'll work on and prepare ourselves because he's going to come for us again. "There's not only Carlos, but everyone. We have a big target on us so we have to be prepared. Then we'll see what's happening in the future." Alcaraz said he had no doubt that Sinner would learn from his near 5-1/2-hour loss at Roland Garros, where the Italian squandered three championship points, and hit back. "I know he's a really nice player and a huge champion. Champions learn from their losses," Alcaraz said. "I knew from the beginning he was going to learn from that final and not make the same mistakes. The way he played today, it was really high. "I wasn't surprised at all." (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in London)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Tennis-Sinner banishes Roland Garros demons to de-throne Alcaraz at Wimbledon
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 13, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates with the trophy after winning the men's final against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge LONDON (Reuters) -When Jannik Sinner arrived at three match points in the fourth set of his Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, the memory of what happened five weeks ago in Paris was flashing through the minds of everyone inside Centre Court. Everyone, perhaps, except world number one Sinner, who managed to banish any lurking demons from the darkest recesses of his brain to seal a 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory and become the first Italian Wimbledon singles champion. Just as on the Parisian clay, 23-year-old Sinner was the better player for long periods. Just as at Roland Garros he had the title in his hands. But unlike that day when three consecutive match points vanished in the fourth set and Alcaraz roared back to win the longest French Open final ever, this time the ice-cool Sinner was never going to be denied. Alcaraz, whose bid to become only the fifth man in the professional era to win three successive Wimbledon titles was watched from the Royal Box by Spain's King Felipe, saved one match point. But this time there was no escape for Alcaraz as Sinner fired down an unreturnable serve. There were no ecstatic celebrations. Sinner raised his arms to the sky, before consoling the man he de-throned and headed off in time-honoured fashion to embrace those in his box. "Back in the days when I was young, this was only a dream, because it was so far away from where I'm from," the man from the Dolomites who could have been a top skier, said on court. "Emotionally I had a very tough loss in Paris. So I'm very happy that I held my nerves and yeah, it's an amazing feeling. While Sunday's duel contained some mind-boggling points, it lacked the twists of last month's Roland Garros roller-coaster. It did, though, underline why the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry is set to dominate men's tennis for the foreseeable future. Alcaraz had led their series 8-4 entering Sunday's final, including winning their last five showdowns. So while Sinner was fuelled by a shot at redemption, he also needed to make a statement. He did so with a superlative display of craft and skill. He refused to be knocked off track by losing the last four games of the first set and went on to pick apart Alcaraz's game with a level of tennis his opponent could not match. GREAT RIVALRY "It is always difficult to lose even if it is in the final. I have to congratulate Jannik once again," Alcaraz, who lost for the first time in 25 matches dating back to April, said. "I am really happy for you. Keep it going. It is great to build a great rivalry and you made me improve every day." But for Alcaraz's astonishing comeback in Paris, Sinner would now hold all four Grand Slam titles, having won last year's U.S. Open and a second Australian Open this year. He had a large slice of luck en route to his first Wimbledon final when Grigor Dimitrov retired injured while leading by two sets in their fourth-round clash. Since then he barely put a foot wrong. Alcaraz was below his best on Sunday and was always vulnerable to Sinner's crisp, early ball-striking. He still hit back from a slow start though and clinched the first set with a stretching backhand sliced winner from an impossible position. Sinner grabbed an early break in the second though and consolidated it despite a Champagne cork popping and landing on the court -- prompting a chorus of loud boos. Just as Alcaraz sealed the opening set in style, Sinner produced a moment of magic to take the second, whipping an audacious forehand winner at full elastic stretch. The third set felt crucial and after a lull it was Alcaraz who blinked, dropping serve at 4-4 after a slide and slip on the baseline allowed Sinner to guide away a winner. Sinner duly held serve to move one set from victory but after what happened in Paris five weeks ago, it still felt like the finishing line was far away. But the usual Alcaraz exuberance was missing and he was scowling after Sinner clubbed away a backhand winner off a short second serve to gain an early break in the fourth. Alcaraz's mood darkened when Sinner held serve for a 4-2 lead with a net cord off of a forehand. Sinner survived a huge test of his nerve at 4-3, 15-40 when a break may have re-ignited Alcaraz but he showed remarkable composure to take the next four points. The biggest examination came at 5-4 though with Sinner obliged to serve for the title and he passed it with barely a backward glance. (Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Factbox-Tennis-Wimbledon men's singles champion Jannik Sinner
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 13, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning the men's final against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge (Reuters) -Factbox on Jannik Sinner, who beat defending champion and Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 to win his first Wimbledon title on Sunday, taking his overall Grand Slam tally to four. Age: 23 Nation: Italy ATP Ranking: 1 Seeding: 1 Grand Slam titles: 4 (Australian Open 2024, 2025; U.S. Open 2024; Wimbledon 2025) EARLY LIFE * Born in the northern Italian village of Innichen, Sinner began playing tennis at age three. CAREER TO DATE * Began his professional career playing on the ITF Circuit in 2018. * Won the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals by beating Alex de Minaur. Ended the year ranked 78th in the world, winning the ATP Newcomer of the Year award. * Won the 2020 Sofia Open, his first ATP title, and became the youngest Italian to win a tour-level title in the Open Era. Ended the year ranked 37th in the world. * In 2021, he won the Great Ocean Road Open, Washington Open, Sofia Open and European Open. Ended the year ranked number 10. * Reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon 2023 and won his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open. He also reached a career-high ranking of world number four, becoming just the second Italian to reach the top five. * Helped Italy to win the Davis Cup after a gap of 47 years in Nov. 2023. * Beat Daniil Medvedev to win his first Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open. * Tested positive for the steroid clostebol in two samples taken in March 2024 but received no suspension after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) found the positive tests were due to contamination from his physiotherapist. * Became the world's number one ranked player after reaching the French Open semi-finals in June 2024. * Beat Taylor Fritz to win his first U.S. Open title in 2024. * Won the Shanghai Masters and finished 2024 with his first ATP Finals crown. * Retained the Australian Open men's singles title in 2025. * In February 2025, Sinner accepted a three-month ban following a deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which had challenged a tribunal's decision to clear him after the two positive tests in 2024. * Avenged his 2025 French Open final loss against Alcaraz by beating him at the 2025 Wimbledon final, securing his first title at the All England Club. (Compiled by Pearl Josephine Nazare; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
