Bill Simons
NEW YORK
It was about as brutal an experience as an athlete can endure. Amanda Anisimova lost the Wimbledon final 6-0, 6-0 to Iga Swiatek. The whole world was watching. What a beatdown – the humiliation cut deep. She could barely stay in points, let alone hit a winner. As for getting a break point – forget it. Amanda was exhausted.
Still, today she told us, “I’m a human and some people freeze sometimes.” Amanda told herself, “It was just kind of a freak thing.” She felt guilty. Fans pay a lot for a Wimbledon final, and they deserved more. Eventually she was forgiving, as she told herself, “It’s just tennis, at the end of the day.”
Today, in her quarterfinal match against the world No. 2 Swiatek, Anisimova was broken in the first game. Her fans muttered, “Please, tennis gods, let Amanda win at least one game. All we’re asking for is a moral victory.”
Again, in New York, as she had after losing Wimbledon, Anisimova remained poised. In London after her devastating loss, she gave a poignant, memorable on-court speech. Today in Flushing Meadows, she flushed away all the horrid memories and the unhappy reality of losing the first game of the match and roared back to score an uplifting 6-4, 6-3 victory.
American fans needed it. Taylor Townsend had failed to convert eight match points, and lost in the fourth round. Taylor Fritz again lost to Djokovic. Now it was official: American men have not won a Slam in 22 years. Ouch!
Americans didn’t want any more tennis pain. Neither did Amanda. Instead, the Floridian got what she craved – redemption!
Then again, the 23-year-old, who likes to paint pictures and read books by self-help gurus, knows about coming back. When she was 17, she reached the French Open semis. She was anointed as the game’s next phenom. It didn’t happen. Worse yet, her father and coach died way too early. She took a brief break and rushed back to the circuit, hoping it would give her solace.
It didn’t. Her coach would later confide she didn’t give herself enough time to mourn. Eventually the grind of the tour was too much. She took a mental wellness break, went to college and made friends.
And she made friends after her gracious handling of her Wimbledon nightmare. Today, after one of the great feel-good wins in recent tennis times, Anisimova told the enthralled afternoon crowd, “This has been a dream.”
No kidding. Amanda’s flawless power strokes were in gear. Her serve was imposing. Her Lindsay Davenport-like groundies were flat. She called on affirmations and what she calls “mindfullness tactics.” She worked hard to move continually. Most important of all, she played without fear. She said her win was “the most meaningful victory of my career.”
She made a scampering dynamo, who’s claimed six Slams and just won in Cincy, look almost ordinary. Swiatek could not handle the American’s force. Plus, Iga served poorly. She pouted and looked to the skies. Mary Joe Fernandez stated the obvious: “What a difference two months can make!”
Such is the beauty of sports. Anisimova could have sulked after her loss. But she didn’t. Instead she took to heart her favorite quote: “Pain can burn you up and destroy you, or burn you up and redeem you.”
And today a smiling athlete reminded many a fan that there is little in life sweeter than redemption.
GEE, THAT WOULD BE SWELL: Amanda will now face Naomi Osaka. She has a decent chance of winning and reaching the final. Jessica Pegula is a hefty underdog against Aryna Sabalenka. She’s only won twice in their nine meetings. Still, it would be great to have an all-American final. BTW: Aside from Amanda reaching the Wimbledon final, Madison Keys and Coco Gauff won titles in Melbourne and Paris respectively.
NOVAK AGAIN SHOWS TAYLOR WHO’S BOSS: Taylor Fritz has had a spectacular tennis career. For years, he’s been America’s best. He won Indian Wells in 2022 and reached the 2024 US Open final, where he fell to Jannik Sinner.
Yes, he’s had some head-scratching fashion meltdowns this year. His experiment with bleached blonde hair was a bust, and Tuesday night he put on his “BOSS” headband backwards. The internet took notice. But who cares? He’s had a career that Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and a gazillion others certainly envy.
As always, Fritz came out bravely. In his quarterfinal match against Novak Djokovic, observers noted that he’s better than ever. His backhand, his movement and his conditioning have improved. And in the first set, he had eight break points. But no one senses the moment like the Serb. No one rises to the occasion and plays big points better than Nole.
Third downs are critical in the NFL. The last two minutes in the NBA often decide everything. Break points are the secret sauce of tennis. You could do a thesis on how Djokovic has brilliantly played break points over the years. His serve will often find the corners. His forehand can be mighty.
Fritz managed a total of 16 break points, but won only three. The pride of California battled hard, won the third set and had chances in the fourth. But his 38-year-old foe again proved his pedigree, and prevailed 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 to reach his fourth major semifinal of the year and his 53rd Slam semi. Incredibly, Djokovic is 14-0 in Grand Slam quarterfinals, and he’s won 40 Slam matches in a row against Americans.
Fritz now has a rough 25-3 losing record against Roger, Rafa, Nole, Carlos and Jannik. But there is one bit of good news, if you can call it that: there are five players who have worse records against Djokovic than Taylor does.
TAYLOR’S STILL IN TOWN: After her crushing loss to Barbora Krejcikova, Taylor Townsend told us she still had work to do. The No. 1 doubles player in the world teamed up with Katerina Siniakova to crush Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez in the women’s doubles quarterfinal. Today they again took care of business, downing Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens in the semis. They will face the No. 3 seeds Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski in the final on Friday.
FELIX IS ONE COOL CAT: Canada’s very own Felix Auger-Aliassime had been wavering big time. He did make the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, but few expected a great run in New York. His draw was brutal. But the lanky, Arthur Ashe-like 25-year-old has gone on a big run in the Big Apple, downing the best player who’s never won a Slam, Alexander Zverev, and the two best active players never to get beyond the quarterfinals of a Slam, the power blasting Andrey Rublev and the fleet Aussie Alex de Minaur. Now he’ll have to brush up on his Italian. He’ll next face either Lorenzo Musetti or Jannik Sinner. BTW: Felix has a winning 2-1 head-to-head record against Sinner. But the No. 1 crushed him recently in Cincinnati.
A DASTARDLY DIALOG: After losing in the 1998 Wimbledon semis, Belarusian Natasha Zvereva said, “I’m tired. I need a mental institution break.” Her quirky confession came to mind after the year’s most bizarre exchange between a British reporter and a player. The odd dialog came in Swiatek’s press conference and it went like this:
Question: It’s been a lot of tennis in the last few weeks…How tired are you…?
IGA SWIATEK: I don’t know. It’s not like my matches were exhausting here.
Q: Do you feel like a mental break…
SWIATEK: Why would you say that?
Q: I just wondered. It’s just a lot in a row. Do you look forward to a break?
SWIATEK: Well, talk to the people responsible for the schedule. Do you need a mental break?
Q: Sorry?
SWIATEK: You look like you need a mental break.
Q: I do, yeah.
SWIATEK: Well, then what are you doing here?
Q: Got to get to the end of the tournament.
SWIATEK: Good luck.
