'Jersey Is Proud Of You': NJ Native Loses In Wimbledon Final

FREEHOLD, NJ — Freehold Township native Amanda Anisimova fought back tears on the court on Saturday following her loss to Iga Swiatek of Poland in the Wimbledon final.

Anisimova, 23, made it to the final round of the Wimbledon Championships following her victory over No. 1 seed Anya Sabalenka in the semifinals on Thursday.

The championship (mainly referred to as “Wimbledon”) is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four major annual tennis tournaments known as the “Grand Slams,” according to Historic U.K.

This was Anisimova's first Grand Slam Final, but when she took to the court on Saturday to compete against Swiatek, she ultimately lost 6-0, 6-0, a defeat that she said will only push her to keep putting in the work and one day return to the championships.

“It’s been an incredible fortnight for me,” Anisimova told the Wimbledon crowd in a post-game interview. “Even though I ran out of gas a bit today, and I wish that I could put on a better performance for all of you, you guys have still been there for me and lifted me up today, so thank you so much.”

Though Anisimova lost in the final match, she was met with plenty of love from family, friends, fans, and fellow New Jerseyans, including Governor Phil Murphy, who posted “Jersey is proud of you, Amanda!” following her defeat.

In an online post, Anisimova thanked her fans for their support and kind words after the match, adding that their support “doesn’t go unnoticed.”

“‘If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same,’” Anisimova quoted in her post. “A quote you read before walking onto center court & one I’ll be carrying with me.”

Born in Freehold, NJ, in 2001, Anisimova spent the first three years of her life in the Garden State before moving to Miami at age three, according to her WTA Tour biography.

After going to her sister’s practice sessions each day, Anisimova began playing tennis and eventually developed a love for the sport, encouraged by tennis idols like Maria Sharapova and fellow U.S. tennis player Serena Williams.

In 2019, she unseated defending French Open champion Simona Halep at 17 years old and was named the youngest woman to reach the French Open semifinals since Nicole Vaidisova at that time, according to NBC.

Going forward, Anisimova described her Wimbledon loss as “a fork in the road” and something that will help her discover how she can come out stronger from it as her tennis career continues.

“I'm going to choose the path of working towards my goals and to try and keep improving,” Anisimova said in a final press conference. “Hopefully put myself in more positions and opportunities like today.”

Previous Coverage

• ‘Many More Great Battles To Come’: NJ Native Advances To Wimbledon Finals
• 17-Year-Old French Open Tennis Semifinalist Has Freehold Twp Ties