Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Jimmy Connors recently admitted that he had a “heartbreak” after witnessing his countrywoman Amanda Anisimova’s emotional defeat to Iga Swiatek at the recently concluded Wimbledon championships.
The 23-year-old Anisimova failed to win a single game, as the more experienced Pole thrashed her 6-0, 6-0 in under an hour.
Jimmy Connors Reveals His Feelings After Watching Iga Swiatek Double Bagel Amanda Anisimova
The American tennis legend made the revelation while discussing the women’s singles final on his podcast, “Advantage Connors.”
“I had a heartbreak,” Connors said of his experience. “Watching the final, you know, all credit to Iga,” he said, praising the Pole’s performance. “She played amazing to get to the final, to win the final 6-0, 6-0 is amazing.”
Connors then went on to describe why he felt sympathy for her opponent. He said, “Anisimova, the way she played in the semifinal, winning that match, getting to the final, beating Saby (Sabalenka) in three sets and getting there, with everything that she has been through for the past year, year and a half, to come back and have a tournament like that, it is amazing, it was amazing.”
After she lost in the first round of the Madrid Open in May 2023, Anisimova went on an indefinite hiatus from the sport, citing mental health problems.
Throwing light on the same, the former World No. 1 continued: “And my heart felt for her because the situation, with everything she has been through, with mental and so forth, and she has been very outspoken about that.”
Since returning from her hiatus in January 2024, Anisimova has hit a spectacular patch of form. Earlier this year, she claimed her first WTA 1000 tournament in Qatar with a win over Jelena Ostapenko in the final. She had a stellar run at Wimbledon, overcoming World No. 1 Sabalenka in a memorable semifinal that lasted over two hours, 37 minutes to set up a final against Swiatek. Following her performance, she rose to her highest ranking, No. 7, on the WTA rankings chart.
What Anisimova Said After Loss to Iga Swiatek in Her First Grand Slam Final
After losing in the Wimbledon final to Swiatek, Anisimova explained that her nerves were “frozen” and that she could not produce her best tennis. She said:
View this post on Instagram
“I was a bit frozen there with my nerves. Maybe the last two weeks, I got a bit tired or something. It’s not how I would have wanted my first Grand Slam final to go. I think I was a little bit in shock after, as well. But I told myself, ‘I’ll definitely come out stronger after this’. That’s not an easy thing to go through, losing 6-0, 6-0 in a Grand Slam final.”
“If anything, I can look at it as a positive and something I can look at as motivation going forward. Obviously, there’s a lot of things I need to do to progress,” she added.
