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<\/p>\n\u201cIt was unpleasant at times because so many people were constantly bringing it up, and even the day that I had to play her at US Open, they were showing replays of the final on every single TV,\u201d Anisimova said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I am a person who loves challenges and seeing if I can do the impossible, I guess \u2026 I think that has always helped me in those high-stress situations. That\u2019s why I love this sport \u2013 because you\u2019re always facing obstacles like that, and I find a lot of thrill in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anisimova proved it was no fluke, repeating the dose on Swiatek in the round-robin stage of the WTA finals in November.<\/p>\n
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Anisimova (right) is best friends with Australian tennis player Priscilla Hon (left).Credit: Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cI messaged her after the Wimbledon final,\u201d Hon said. \u201cBecause the last thing you want is for her to be down. She literally just made a final.<\/p>\n
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\u201cYeah, it sucks how it went, but how insane that she even got there \u2026 then to that quickly turn around [and beat Swiatek] shows how strong she is, mentally. To overcome that on such a big stage at the US Open, her home slam, was massive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The origin of their friendship is a qualifying match they played in San Jose in 2018. Barely a month later, they crossed paths again at a tournament in Hiroshima, Japan.<\/p>\n
Anisimova asked Hon for a pre-tournament hit, and the rest is history. The practice session went so well that Anisimova wondered if they could be practice partners for the entire week.<\/p>\n
\u201cPri was like, \u2018What? Why would we hit every single day?\u2019,\u201d Anisimova recalled, laughing. \u201cBut we really got on at that practice \u2013 and we\u2019ve been best friends ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a cut-throat tennis world where players often view each other only as foes and stay at arm\u2019s length, Anisimova and Hon \u2013 who made her top-100 debut last year \u2013 are kindred spirits. They repeatedly reference each other\u2019s support in press conferences, although typically only as \u201cmy best friend\u201d.<\/p>\n
If you hear them say that, you now know who they are talking about (sometimes, Hon is referencing another tennis star, Karolina Muchova, who she played doubles with in Brisbane this week).<\/p>\n
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