LONDON — Amanda Anisimova won her fourth-round match at Wimbledon on Monday, and then asked her coach how her fellow American players were faring at the tournament.
He broke the news to her: She was the only countrywoman left standing and one of two Americans remaining in the singles draws, joining Taylor Fritz, who won earlier in the day.
She couldn’t believe it.
“[It’s] kind of surprising to me because we just have such a strong team of girls from America that are doing so well right now,” Anisimova said. “But I’m happy at least Taylor won today for the Fourth of July.”
Anisimova, 20, and Fritz, 24, are now the United States’ last remaining hopes for the singles trophies at the All England Club, and each will play in the quarterfinals Wednesday. The two have experienced the highs and lows of life as a professional tennis player, and while both believe they have more to achieve this week, neither could help but feel grateful for what they’ve already accomplished.
“All the hard work I’ve been putting in, all the things I’ve been doing, it’s paying off,” Fritz said Monday. “It feels amazing. Doesn’t even seem real. I’m in the Wimbledon quarterfinal.
“Things like this I’ve kind of worked for my whole life. It’s great to kind of soak it in and feel like everything’s kind of — the work’s paying off and I’m moving in the right direction.”
🇺🇸 @Taylor_Fritz97
🇺🇸 @AnisimovaAmandaIt’s a 4th of July to remember for Fritz and Anisimova, who both advance to their first Wimbledon quarter-finals #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Th0my4NTYM
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2022
Anisimova made her breakthrough at the French Open in 2019, reaching the semifinals as a 17-year-old. The attention was immediate, and she became a front-runner as the future face of American tennis for when Serena and Venus Williams inevitably retired. But the sisters are still playing, and Anisimova has yet to reach that stage of a major since.
Instead, as other American women have stepped into the spotlight, she’s dealt with tragedy and bad luck.
Just months later, a week before the US Open, Anisimova’s father, Konstantin, who had also been her coach, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. She withdrew from the tournament and didn’t play much the rest of the year. She returned for the 2020 season, but much of the play that year was suspended and impacted by the pandemic.
Anisimova tested positive for COVID-19 at the start of the 2021 season and was unable to play in the Australian…
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