Amanda Anisimova was accused of breaking an unwritten rule by Aryna Sabalenka but the American is unlikely to give a hoot as she takes on Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final
It’s clear that Amanda Anisimova managed to get under Aryna Sabalenka’s skin on her way to her first Grand Slam final.
However, the 23 year old from New Jersey will have her work cut out if she’s to unsettle Iga Swiatek in the same way when they face off on Saturday.
During her 4-6 6-4 4-6 loss, Sabalenka took issue with Anisimova for supposedly celebrating a point prematurely, and gave her a stern stare when the American failed to acknowledge a fortunate winner that clipped the net.
Sabalenka referenced the alleged early celebration, saying: “She kind of p****d me off.”
She also touched on Anisimova’s lack of apology for the net cord, adding: “I was like … ‘you don’t want to say sorry?’ She just wanted, I guess, badly to win this match. If she doesn’t feel like saying sorry, that’s on her.”, reports the Mirror.
Anisimova was right to shrug off Sabalenka’s grievances and will be aware that she’s unlikely to rattle 24 year old Swiatek, who has a flawless record in Grand Slam finals and was merciless in dispatching unseeded Belinda Bencic 6-2 6-0.
Swiatek, who held the number one spot for a couple of years but has yet to claim the Wimbledon title, revealed that she listens to AC/DC as she takes to the court, and she certainly subjected Bencic to a punishing hour of high-octane tennis. She expressed: “Tennis keeps surprising me. I thought I’d experienced everything on the court but I didn’t experience playing well on grass, so that’s the first time and I’m super-excited and enjoying it.
“Every point is different and every match I need to adjust my game but for sure I feel like I improved my movement and I’m serving really well and I feel really confident.”
Swiatek has every reason to be confident ahead of her clash with Anisimova, but the American’s journey to a Wimbledon final proves she’s made of tough stuff.
At just 17, she reached the 2019 French Open semi-finals, defeating Sabalenka in the process, and was widely expected to win a Grand Slam. However, four years later, she chose to take a mental health break and didn’t touch a racket for seven months.
Following her victory over Sabalenka, she stated: “I think that’s a really special message that I’ve been able to show because, 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.
“That was a little hard to digest because I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and win a Grand Slam one day.
“Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself is incredibly special to me. It means a lot.”
And it will mean even more if she can manage to upset Swiatek in the same way she upset Sabalenka, but that will be a big ask against a brilliant Pole playing rockstar tennis.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
