‘It Was Tough to Digest’: Anisimova Reflects After Crushing Wimbledon Final Loss

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From Centre Court dreams to a nightmare defeat, Amanda Anisimova was left stunned as Iga Świątek handed her a ruthless 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final blow.

Anisimova’s first Grand Slam final ended in heartbreak. She suffered a crushing 6-0, 6-0 loss to Poland’s Świątek in the Wimbledon women’s singles final. The match lasted just 57 minutes and marked only the second time in the tournament’s history that a final had finished with such a scoreline, commonly referred to as a “double bagel.”

Świątek, the current World Number One, was in complete control from the first point, giving the American little chance to find her rhythm. For Anisimova, it was a bitter twist. She had started her campaign in style, dishing out a double bagel herself in the opening round against Yulia Putintseva. That dominant performance set the tone for what looked to be a breakout tournament, including a standout semi-final win against top seed Aryna Sabalenka. But when it mattered most, nerves and pressure seemed to overwhelm her.

Speaking after the match on Centre Court, Anisimova struggled to hold back tears as she addressed the crowd. She thanked the supporters and paid tribute to her opponent, but the weight of the occasion was evident in her voice. Later, in her post-match press conference, she opened up more honestly. “It was tough to digest,” she admitted. “It’s not how I would have wanted my first Grand Slam final to go. I think I was in shock afterwards. It’s not an easy thing to go through, losing zero and zero.”

Emotional Blow

The scoreline etched Anisimova’s name into Wimbledon history, but not in the way she would have hoped. The last time a singles final at the All England Club ended in a double bagel was in 1911, when Dorothea Lambert Chambers beat Dora Boothby. This outcome is so rare that it has only happened once more across all major tournaments, when Steffi Graf defeated Natasha Zvereva at the 1988 French Open in just 34 minutes.

Still, there is more to Anisimova’s Wimbledon story than the final. Just a year ago, she was ranked outside the world’s top 180 and didn’t make it past the qualifying rounds. Having taken an eight-month break from tennis in 2023 to focus on her mental health and recover from burnout, her return to top-level competition has been nothing short of impressive.

She acknowledged the journey in her comments to reporters. “If anything, what I’ve learned is that you’re never going to be perfect, and every match is different,” she said. “My fighting spirit is what got me to the final. It wasn’t about playing perfect tennis. There were moments where I struggled, but I kept pushing, stayed focused, and tried not to get negative.”