Upsets have been piling up at the French Open, even before the start of the tournament’s second week. Amanda Anisimova was one of the multiple upsets on day 7, alongside defending champion Coco Gauff. Anisimova failed to defend her fourth-round appearance from last year.
The American, who was one of the favorites to make a deep run, was upset by local favorite Diane Parry in the third round. In the final moments of the match, she was visibly distressed and appeared to be physically compromised.
Amanda Anisimova Reflects on French Open Loss
Anisimova, seeded sixth, opened her campaign with a promising 6-3, 6-1 win against Frenchwoman Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah. She won her second match through retirement after leading Austria’s Julia Grabher 6-0. But her third-round match on Court Philippe-Chatrier was a different story. Not only did the American have to find solutions against her No. 92-ranked opponent, she also had to tackle the heat and face a lively crowd cheering against her.
To add to her challenges, Anisimova was feeling under the weather. “From the beginning it was really tough for me because it was really hot and I’m not feeling my best, physically,” she said in her press conference.
The American added that she skipped her practice session ahead of the match. “Didn’t train yesterday. It was really hard out there, and I tried to do my best till the last moment, but I feel like it just was getting worse and worse for me through the match. A lot of mistakes. It was just really disappointing for me.”
“In the end I got a bunch of blisters on my hands. So, it was really hard for me to hold the racket and hit the ball. So just a really unfortunate day,” she noted.
Parry narrowly won the tense contest with a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3) score to advance to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
“At the same time, she was playing well; she stayed calm, and she did all the right things. So all I can really do is accept that that’s the way it was,” Anisimova said.
About competing in the heatwave, the American said that her sickness made the conditions seem worse. “When I stepped outside, it was like, ‘Wow, yeah, it’s really hot at this time of the day.’ Normally I’m able to handle it pretty well because I’m used to it. But when you’re sick, it makes it really challenging.
Anisimova’s fatigue was evident in the deciding tiebreak as she pushed herself to the limits to stay competitive. “The mind and body are just not connected. It was really hard for me to focus even when I was trying with my best effort to put the ball in, play like I would normally do. Sometimes it just doesn’t work that way when you’re a bit under the weather.”
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It is worth noting that Amanda Anisimova entirely skipped the WTA clay season ahead of her run in Paris. After her defeat at the Miami Open in March, the player took an extended break to address a wrist injury. Despite the early exit, the American insisted she had no regrets about playing at the French Open instead of turning her attention directly to the grass swing.
