Amanda Anisimova won against Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday night and will play the winner of the match between Argentinian Nadia Podoroska and Slovenian Tamara Zidansek in the next round
In 2023, amidst personal turmoil, Amanda Anisimova pulled back from the sport announcing that she’d be taking an indefinite leave of absence, starting in May.
“I’ve really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022,” the former World No.21 wrote on Instagram. “It’s become unbearable being at tennis tournaments. 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.”
Fast forward seven months and the American is refreshed – and it shows.
Anisimova powered past Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova on Sunday, notching a 6-3, 6-4 victory for her first win at a major since 2022 Wimbledon.
What a return for Amanda Anisimova!
She wins her first match at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2022 after missing most of last year. pic.twitter.com/lRtKpqX3XW
“It’s an amazing feeling and I had so much fun playing out there today,” Anisimova said on court. “Ahead of the match I knew that it was going to be a tough match against a strong player, so I just wanted to enjoy every second of it.”
During her time away from tennis Anisimova got in touch with her artistic side, taking to painting, and even created a website to distribute her artwork for charity. The website takes the name of “AA’s Art for Hope” and donates portions of proceeds to foundations that focus on mental health.
Anisimova, 22, now seems more engaged and ready to resume her career. No surprise to taking out big names at the majors, the former world No 21 engineered her sixth Top 20 win at the majors on Sunday.
Anisimova, ranked No 339, will play the winner of the match between Argentinian Nadia Podoroska and Slovenian Tamara Zidansek next.
Melbourne (Grand Slam), other first-round results (Melbourne Park, hard, USD 58.910.000, most recent results first):
