Two years ago, 23-year old tennis star Amanda Anisimova wouldn’t have been found on the tennis court. Instead, she was studying at Nova Southeastern University and showing her paintings in a New York art gallery. Flash forward to July 12, 2025, when Anisimova competed in the Wimbledon final. This was her first major final, and despite losing in straight sets (6-0, 6-0) to Iga Świątek, making it into the match was a win for Anisimova’s and a testament to her journey so far.

Anisimova began playing tennis at age 5. She first got to the final four at a major tournament at the French Open in 2019—she was 17 years old. Later that year, right before the US Open, Anisimova’s father passed away from a heart attack. She withdrew from the US Open, and proceeded to only win two matches in her next seven tournaments. 

On May 5, 2023, Anisimova announced on social media that she would be taking a break from tennis due to mental health struggles. 

“I’ve really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022. It’s become unbearable being at tennis tournaments,” Anisimova wrote on her social media. “At this point, my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for some time. I’ve worked as hard as I could to push through it. I will miss being out there, and I appreciate all the continuous support.” 

This was her first time stepping away from tennis since she began playing the sport. 

"I had done that my whole life—pushing through everything—because I never took any breaks," Anisimova said. "I felt like it was just unfair for me to keep pushing and pushing as if I’m not a human being."

“I always believe in myself, so I hope to be back here one day.”

Amanda Anisimova

During her time off, Anisimova traveled with her family and built deeper connections with her young nephews. She spent a semester in-person at Florida’s Nova Southeastern University. Previously, she had been pursuing her undergraduate business and psychology degrees remotely. She also dove deeper into her hobby of painting. 

Anisimova began painting in 2022 as a creative outlet, but during her time off tennis, she started selling her work online. She donated the proceeds to charities that supported those struggling with mental health, hunger, and child abuse. Her work eventually caught the attention of Ted Dimond, a New-York based artist whose work frequently features tennis players and other athletes. Anisimova later showed her work in Dimond’s gallery. 

"They were these pieces of abstract work, with beautiful colors, just very creative and flowing and playful," Dimond told ESPN. "I said this to her but if there had been 50 pieces of art displayed and I had to guess which ones she had done, those were the ones I would have guessed. She's really talented and even being abstract work, who she is comes across in the paintings.”

In July 2023, Anisimova found her way back to the practice court. She eased her way into training, starting with low-impact workouts focused on body-weight exercises and injury prevention. Over the next six months, she worked her way back to top form and returned fully to tennis at the beginning of 2024. 

"I feel a lot more refreshed," Anisimova said during the 2024 Australian Open. "I'm enjoying practicing. I'm enjoying every second that I'm out there. Even when I was down today, I was still just enjoying the challenge.”

Anisimova came into the 2025 Wimbledon seeded 13th. She fought her way to the final, upsetting No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-final to become the youngest American Wimbledon semifinalist since Serena Williams (22) in 2004. After Anisimova’s finals loss, she was flooded with emotion. In her post-match interview, she thanked her mom for making the trip to watch her and for her selfless impact on her life. She also thanked her team for taking care of her over her past few years of adversity. 

"I know I didn't have enough today, but I'm going to keep putting in the work," Anisimova said. "And I always believe in myself, so I hope to be back here one day."

As athletes, we often think that taking time off is fatal to a successful career. But Anisimova serves as a reminder that, sometimes, stepping away from sport to improve mental health and tap into other passions can pay big dividends down the road and help lay the foundation for a fulfilling future.