Amanda Anisimova has reached her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon after defeating world No1 Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling three-set semi-final on Centre Court, completing a remarkable comeback from the personal tragedy suffered in 2019 after the tragic, sudden passing of her father.
The 23-year-old American's victory also marks an astonishing turnaround from just 12 months ago, when she failed to qualify for the main draw at SW19.
The New Jersey-born Russian-American displayed her trademark powerful backhand throughout the match, matching Sabalenka's intensity and refusing to be intimidated by the tournament favourite.
"It's been an incredible year for me," Anisimova said following her semi-final triumph. "To be in the Wimbledon final, I mean, I'm still trying to process it, in a way."
Amanda Anisimova will play her first Grand Slam final on Saturday
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The victory sets up a final showdown with Iga Swiatek on Saturday afternoon, with the two players having never met on any surface as adults.
Anisimova's path to this moment, though, has been marked by profound personal tragedy.
In 2019, just as the teenager was establishing herself on the WTA Tour, her father Konstantin died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 52.
The timing was devastating - his death occurred merely a week before her 18th birthday as she prepared to compete at her home US Open. She immediately withdrew from the tournament.
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Thursday's victory marked a staggering comeback to tennis
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Konstantin had been instrumental in shaping his daughter's career, coaching her from childhood after emigrating from Russia to the United States in 1998.
He had cautioned against the pressures facing young tennis players, telling the New York Times in 2017: "I saw a lot of parents who got immediately delusional and those stories end up in a very bad way. You can't over-train. You can't over-push."
The grief from losing her father compounded into broader mental health challenges that eventually forced Anisimova to step away from the sport entirely.
In May 2023, following a first-round defeat at the Madrid Open, she announced an indefinite break from tennis.
"I've really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022," she wrote in an Instagram statement. "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."
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During her time away, Anisimova discovered painting as a therapeutic outlet: "I got into art when I was struggling with my mental health, and it was something that I did in my free time just to get my mind off of things," she explained.
She found particular inspiration in Vincent van Gogh's work, creating colourful abstract pieces that she sold for charity.
The break allowed her to reconnect with friends and family, read, and crucially, she didn't touch a tennis racquet during this period.
Her return to professional tennis in 2024 began while using a protected ranking, but the journey back proved challenging.
Persistent hip and back injuries continued to hamper her progress, though she managed to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open and the final at the Canadian Open.
The breakthrough came in early 2025 when Anisimova claimed her first WTA 1000 title in Qatar and reached the final at Queen's - her first career grass-court final.
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She brought physiotherapist Shadi Soleymani into her team in March, who restructured her vegan diet and retrained her movement patterns using biomechanics expertise.
"I learned a lot about myself, my interests off the court, and just taking some time to breathe and live a normal life for a bit," Anisimova told BBC Sport this week.
"What I've learned is to listen honestly to yourself, to your intuition, and what your body is telling you."
Her ranking has soared from 191st in the world when she lost in Wimbledon qualifying last year to her current position at NoN13.
The upcoming final represents a fascinating clash of styles, with Anisimova having never faced Swiatek on any surface as adults.
The Polish world No 4, who won the girls' title at Wimbledon in 2018, has never lost any of her five Grand Slam finals.
For Anisimova, simply reaching this stage validates her decision to prioritise her mental wellbeing over her career.
"A lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game," she reflected.
"Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself [has] been incredibly special to me."
When asked how she might paint her Wimbledon journey, the American artist-athlete pondered: "I don't know. I typically do abstract, so it would be hard.
"A lot of green and white. So maybe it's some inspiration for me when I get back to make a piece."