Amanda Anisimova’s conduct after her bruising Wimbledon final loss has now been curiously compared to Jack Draper.
This duo endured wildly differing runs at the All-England Club this year, whilst dealing with completely different expectations too.
For the American, there was little pressure, as an unknown commodity whom few thought would make genuine waves within the draw.
She thrived in such an environment, even beating Aryna Sabalenka on her way to the final, where the occasion finally got the better of her.
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Jack Draper, meanwhile, entered Wimbledon as the British number one and number four seed, with the weight of the country on his shoulders. This culminated in a disappointing second-round exit, as one of many seeds that were toppled in the opening two rounds.
And yet, despite the vast gulf between their respective performances, their reactions have been compared.
Amanda Anisimova compared to Jack Draper
Speaking on The Tennis Podcast, the four panellists sought to deliver some insight into not only Amanda Anisimova’s performance, but how such a crushing loss might affect her long-term.
After all, she was beaten handily, 6-0, 6-0, by a ruthless Iga Swiatek on the biggest stage in tennis.
Speaking after the match in her press conference, the American tried not to make excuses, but did admit that physical issues may have contributed to the nature of this overwhelming loss.
Journalist Charlie Eccleshare has now pointed out how this mirrors Draper’s reaction to his loss, noting: “I think the way I read that is that it’s physical things are easier, there are quicker fixes for them. And so I think if you’re trying to process, it’s far easier to be like, I wasn’t feeling physically great. Next time I’m gonna feel physically better.
“And I thought there was a bit of that with Jack Draper earlier in the tournament. You know, he went really, really heavy on just like, “It’s not a mental thing, it’s not about pressure, this is a tennis thing.” And I totally believed him.
“But I also think that’s just because, like… Make it simple. Make it something you can control, and that it’s easier to make improvements on.
“So, yeah, because I think we all went in there expecting her to kind of, not pour her heart out, she’s not that kind of player necessarily, but certainly for us watching it, it’s hard not to put a huge amount of stock on the psychological, the mental element, but I think, yeah, that’s a way to help her kind of process it.”
Marin Cilic rated Draper’s game after beating him at Wimbledon, seeking to point out any glaring weaknesses he noticed after completing his upset victory.
What’s next for Jack Draper?
Well, with an early exit from Wimbledon, he has had more time than most to relax and start preparing for the US hard-court swing of the tour.
Last year, the Brit made his true breakthrough at a Grand Slam by storming into the semi-finals of the US Open, losing to the eventual champion Jannik Sinner in three gruelling sets.
Since then, his body has been transformed, constructed to go the distance against the very best players in the world.
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His next tournament has not been publicised yet, but he is slated to play at the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.
It’s expected that he will fill in the gap before then with a few other tournaments, hoping to gather momentum ahead of a major where he will have plenty of ranking points to defend.