By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday September 3, 2021
Two years removed from the tragic loss of her father, Amanda Anisimova is still grieving his loss. And still playing for him.
On Thursday night in New York the recently turned 20-year-old played as well as she possibly could, battling tooth and nail with Karolina Pliskova and even earning a match point late in the third-set tiebreaker before falling, 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(7).
It was a breathtaking performance from both players, and one that reminded tennis fans of just how talented Anisimova, a former World No.21 that reached the semifinals of Roland Garros as a 17-year-old, is. Blessed with jaw-dropping power, Anisimova is one of the cleanest ball-strikers on the women’s tour.
Her father and coach, Konstantin Anisimov, was just 52 when he died suddenly in 2019, just before the 2019 US Open. How to process such grief? That has been Anisimova’s challenge in the last few years, and she has done admirably, gradually starting to open up about her grief. Naturally, her results on tour have ebbed and flowed, but at 20, it’s clear that Anisimova has the potential to become an elite force on tour.
And she’ll do it with Konstantin in her heart – all the better. Thursday night Anisimova took to Twitter to pay tribute to her father, stating how badly she wanted to earn the victory for him. Even though she didn’t, she has so much to be proud of.
And certainly, many big wins to look forward to…