Latest news with #Amanda Anisimova
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Princess of Wales arrives at Wimbledon
The Princess of Wales has surprised guests at Wimbledon with an appearance ahead of the women's singles final on Saturday. The Princess, 43, received a standing ovation at the men's singles final last year, in what was her second public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis. Last year was also the first time in three years that she had missed the women's final. The Princess, who is patron of The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), is expected to present the trophy to the winner following the match between Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek. Upon arriving at SW19, the Princess met with two young people from the Work at Wimbledon programme, as well as the two foundation coin toss nominees. She spoke to eight-year-old Lydia Lowe, who is representing the Dan Maskell Trust and was responsible for the coin toss for the wheelchair final. The Princess asked the child, who overcame a brain injury last January and had to learn how to walk again, if she had any advice for the big day. 'Don't be nervous and take deep breaths,' the child replied. She also talked with Sophie Kneen, 12, who will do the coin toss for this afternoon's women's final. The Princess met Wang Ziying, the women's wheelchair tennis champion – who won her final in straight sets – and Ralp Yin, her coach. She also met Shaniah Williams and Jefferson Iweh, who are Work at Wimbledon representatives. The Princess spoke with Wimbledon's longest-serving steward, Bob Flint, who has worked the Championships each year since 1980. She later waved to cheering crowds as she crossed a bridge over the grounds. Her appearance at the final comes as she continues to find the right balance as she fully returns to public-facing engagements after her treatment last year. The Princess was diagnosed with cancer following a major abdominal surgery in January last year. She retreated from public life as she underwent a course of 'preventative chemotherapy', making only occasional public appearances over the following months. Last September, Catherine revealed she had completed her treatment. In January, she confirmed she was in remission. More recently, she has gradually been increasing her workload but has made clear that her focus will remain firmly on her long-term recovery. In recent weeks, she has made public appearances at Garter Day in Windsor and Trooping the Colour, as well as a handful of other solo engagements. But she pulled out of a planned trip to Royal Ascot last month at the last minute after she had been expected to make a return to the racing spectacle following her absence the previous year. She was said to be disappointed not to attend alongside her husband, the Prince of Wales, but continues to take each occasion as it comes. Other guests at Wimbledon's royal box on Saturday included Billie Jean King, the former tennis champion, Kemi Badenoch, the Tory party leader, and Gordon Ramsay, the celebrity chef. Last year, the Princess attended Carlos Alcaraz's winning match against seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. She brought Princess Charlotte with her and was left emotional after receiving a standing ovation. The Princess later awarded Alcaraz the trophy before a photograph posted on Wimbledon's X account showed Charlotte shaking the hand of the champion as he held the prize. The Waleses are keen tennis players and previously revealed that they are unable to finish a match because of their competitiveness.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
American Amanda Anisimova faces Poland's Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon women's final
LONDON — Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek both will be aiming to win Wimbledon for the first time when they meet in the women's final. Saturday's title match at Centre Court is the first for Anisimova , a 23-year-old American, at any Grand Slam tournament. Swiatek, a 24-year-old from Poland, already owns five such trophies, going 5-0 in major finals, but never had been this far on the grass courts of the All England Club. She's been the champion on the French Open's red clay four times and on the U.S. Open's hard courts once.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
American Amanda Anisimova faces Poland's Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon women's final
Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek both will be aiming to win Wimbledon for the first time when they meet in the women's final. Saturday's title match at Centre Court is the first for Anisimova, a 23-year-old American, at any Grand Slam tournament. Swiatek, a 24-year-old from Poland, already owns five such trophies, going 5-0 in major finals, but never had been this far on the grass courts of the All England Club. She's been the champion on the French Open's red clay four times and on the U.S. Open's hard courts once. The final is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. local time, which is 11 a.m. EDT. Swiatek is listed as the money-line favorite at -250 by BetMGM Sportsbook. Anisimova is at +210. They've never played each other as pros; Anisimova beat Swiatek in 2016 when they were juniors. Both were stars at that level: Anisimova defeated Coco Gauff for the 2017 U.S. Open junior title, while Swiatek was the Wimbledon junior champion the next year. Whoever wins Saturday will be the eighth consecutive first-time Wimbledon champion. Swiatek spent most of 2022, 2023 and 2024 at No. 1 in the WTA rankings but is seeded No. 8 at Wimbledon after going more than a year without claiming a title anywhere. She served a one-month doping ban last year after failing an out-of-competition drug test; an investigation determined she was inadvertently exposed to a contaminated medical product used for trouble sleeping and jet lag. Anisimova, who was born in New Jersey and grew up in Florida, was a semifinalist at age 17 at the 2019 French Open. She took time away from the tour a little more than two years ago because of burnout. A year ago, she tried to qualify for Wimbledon, because her ranking of 189th was too low to get into the field automatically, but lost in the preliminary event. Anisimova will break into the top 10 in the rankings for the first time next week, no matter what happens Saturday. ___
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Catwalk v Centre Court: SW19 becomes hot spot for celebrities and brands
On Saturday, all eyes will be on United States' Amanda Anisimova as she takes on Poland's Iga Świątek in the Wimbledon women's finals. But this week there has been another rally taking place off grass. It was catwalk v Centre Court as clashing schedules meant haute couture fashion week in Paris went head to head with the Championships in SW19. Like all matches, there can only be one winner and surprisingly, it appears it is the London suburb rather than the French fashion capital that has claimed the contest. While couture wasn't short of Hollywood stars – Demna's final show for Balenciaga included appearances from Kim Kardashian and Nicole Kidman, and the singer Dua Lipa and rapper Cardi B sat front row at Schiaparelli – Wimbledon has welcomed an eclectic mix, from the pop star Olivia Rodrigo to Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Oscar winners Mark Rylance and Cate Blanchett. Yasmin Eady, the co-founder of Raven, a London-based communications agency, describes gaining access to the tournament as 'more desirable than ever'. Ralph Lauren, Wimbledon's official outfitter since 2006 (meaning the brand dresses all tournament staff), hosts a string of stars who this year included the actors Ncuti Gatwa and Andrew Garfield. Unlike a fashion show that lasts as little as 10 minutes, a match at Centre Court can go on for hours, but this doesn't seem to be a deterrent. 'Wimbledon has become the must-have ticket for celebrities,' says Daniel Yaw-Miller, a sports and fashion journalist and founder of the SportsVerse newsletter. 'It is one of those events that if you are seen at, gives you a particular kind of status in the celebrity world. It shows that you are moving in certain circles.' The fusion of sport, celebrity and fashion is a growing trend seen across all types of sports including Formula One and football but this year's Wimbledon, the third of four annual grand slam tennis tournaments, has shown just how integrated the two worlds have become. Tennis has come for luxury fashion and luxury fashion has come for tennis. Thrilling rallies from athletes including Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff have propelled interest in the sport, signalling a transition in the game as this new generation of stars take over after the retirement of greats including Roger Federer and Serena Williams. Yaw-Miller describes Alcaraz as a 'new rock star' and 'an athlete's athlete'. After his match against Cameron Norrie, Saka and Jurriën Timber took photos with him. This season the Italian player Lorenzo Musetti used the championships to announce his new Bottega Veneta ambassador role by walking on to the court in a woven, white leather jacket from the brand. He might have got knocked out in the first round but the virality of the images show the impact a fashion partnership can have even if a jacket is worn for a couple of minutes. Sign up to Fashion Statement Style, with substance: what's really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved after newsletter promotion Marisa Hordern, the founder and creative director of the British jewellery brand Missoma, says this summer the company chose to focus on Wimbledon rather than Glastonbury. 'The championships feels more culturally relevant and exciting. In terms of brand exposure, in the UK in terms of sporting events, it's No 1.' When an earring worn by Gauff from Missoma's new tennis collection fell out mid-match, clips of her opponent Dayana Yastremska picking it up quickly spread. Some compared it with Chris Evert's 1978 US Open moment when her bracelet fell off. 'It was one of those awkward moments which just became PR gold,' says Hordern. So far the collection has performed 53% better than the brand had forecast. Eady says an image of a player or a celebrity spectator wearing a piece or carrying an accessory is strongly coveted by brands. It extends to the partners of the athletes too. The influencer Morgan Riddle, who is Taylor Fritz's girlfriend, regularly partners with brands such as Valentino and Ferragamo on her spectator outfits. According to the data firm Launchmetrics, last year's appearance of the Challenger's star Zendaya at the Polo Ralph Lauren suite generated more than £2m in media impact value for the US brand. Unlike other sporting events, the spectators in the royal box sit in close proximity to the court and often end up in the background of coverage. Eady says: 'If you have someone wearing a brand, smiling to the cameras as someone like [Novak] Djokovic wins a final set, that's the money shot.'
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Amanda Anisimova or Iga Swiatek will be Wimbledon's eighth consecutive first-time women's champion
LONDON — Either Amanda Anisimova or Iga Swiatek will leave the All England Club's grass courts as Wimbledon's eighth consecutive first-time women's champion. Why has there been such a revolving door? Chris Evert has some thoughts about various elements that, as she put it ahead of Saturday's final, 'make it difficult to feel completely secure and confident on this elusive surface.'
