Amanda Anisimova had dreamt of winning the Wimbledon title on Saturday, but the occasion quickly became a nightmare for her.
The 23-year-old American was outmatched from the very first game on Centre Court, as Iga Swiatek established her dominance in the final.
Losing the first set 0-6, it seemed as though things could only get better for Anisimova in the second set as she made her maiden Grand Slam final appearance.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
It wasn’t to be, however, as Anisimova fell to a humbling 0-6, 0-6 defeat in the 2025 Wimbledon final.
Reacting to the 13th seed’s loss, former world number one Andy Roddick shared what he would be telling Anisimova if he were her coach.
Andy Roddick would have told Amanda Anisimova that losing 0-6 is the same as losing 6-7
During the latest edition of ‘Quick Served’, Roddick gave his verdict on Anisimova’s 0-6, 0-6 defeat.
“I do want to celebrate the story of [Amanda] Anisimova. I know this is going to leave a mark. I’ve got to think that it is going to be a little bit of hangover,” he said.
“Even one game is different from no games, and people are going to be obsessed with it.”
Roddick proceeded to say what he would be telling Anisimova if he were her coach.
“But I was sitting here at 6-0 and I was like if I’m her coach I am yelling that it is the same scoreline, it’s the same as if you lost 7-6,” he said.
“It does not feel good because you got blown out and you have to find it in a hurry, but I would have been trying to negotiate something like 7-6 is almost worse.
“You weren’t close, let’s just reset quickly.”
Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images
Scheduled to return to action at the Washington Open in nine days’ time, Anisimova will have to reset quickly, as she looks to bounce back from a tough defeat.
Jon Wertheim has a theory on why Amanda Anisimova lost to Iga Swiatek so badly
Roddick’s co-host Jon Wertheim was keen to weigh in with his thoughts, as he suggested two reasons behind Anisimova’s Wimbledon final defeat.
“I don’t know how much of this is just the moment. 48 hours ago, she beat the number one player in the world and stared her down,” he said.
“That was a mental toughness win, and she comes back. I don’t know how much of this was the occasion.
“I wonder if it was relevant that they had never played each other before and there was no basis of knowledge you could tap into.”
Anisimova and Swiatek met for the first time in the Wimbledon final, whereas for the American’s semifinal win, she had already played Aryna Sabalenka on several occasions.
In fact, Anisimova held a solid lead in the head-to-head with Sabalenka, winning five of their first eight matches.
Amanda Anisimova and Aryna Sabalenka’s head-to-head record
Perhaps Anisimova will have a better chance against Swiatek when they meet next, having learned from their first encounter.
However, that likely won’t provide too much comfort for the American now, who became the first player in 114 years to lose a Wimbledon final 0-6, 0-6 on Saturday.
Still, Anisimova has plenty to look forward to, as she is set to make her top ten debut when the next set of rankings are released.
The soon-to-be world number seven may not have lifted the title this time around, but it surely won’t be the last we will see of her on Centre Court.