\u2022 Here\u2019s this week\u2019s Served podcast with special guest Frances Tiafoe.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Thanks to those who wrote about the Franklin Meuli piece in the latest Sports Illustrated. Let the record reflect that a friend who is a longtime Warriors fan suggested that piece. Brad Gilbert is the guy\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Here\u2019s a 60 Minutes segment on Swiss watches. (Next week, we can discuss how it relates to tennis.):<\/p>\n
\u2022 Tiafoe will look to play on Final Sunday for the fourth consecutive year when he returns to River Oaks Country Club for the 2026 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men\u2019s Clay Court Championship. <\/p>\n
\u2022 The Orange Bowl Committee, City of Fort Lauderdale and USTA will host a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for Chris Evert Stadium Court to officially reopen the renovated Jimmy Evert Tennis Center at Holiday Park and kick off the 2025 Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships. <\/p>\n
Onward \u2026<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s do things a little differently this week. I was marooned at the office Friday afternoon, but Amanda Anisimova was kind enough (and sufficiently flexible) to break up the day with tennis talk. She was in town for the Newark exhibition on Sunday, and we talked about her season\u2014one that saw her advance to the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals and enter the top five\u2014filled and unfilled goals and swelling confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.<\/p>\n
Sports Illustrated: Are you one of these people who thinks New York\u2019s crazy? Or do you like coming here?<\/p>\n
Amanda Anisimova: I love it. I always said that I would love to live here for a year or two. I would visit my sister a lot in New York. I just love how the city never sleeps. And it\u2019s there\u2019s always something to do when you walk outside. And my friends live here too. So that kind of association, hanging out with my friends and my sister here, I do love the city, and coming for the U.S. Open, I love it.<\/p>\n
SI: When you come to an office and you see 24-year-olds, you\u2019re thinking \u2026 what? That could be me, under fluorescent lights? I\u2019m so lucky to be outdoors for my job.<\/p>\n
AA: Yeah, I have a very unorthodox lifestyle. I set my own schedule, and it\u2019s so different from, like, a day-to-day, nine-to-five. But yeah, I think that if I didn\u2019t play tennis, I would never work in an office. I don\u2019t think that would have ever been for me. I would have loved to be a doctor\u2014maybe a surgeon\u2014something different every day. The same routine every day would be so hard for me. I know a lot of people who have office jobs, and I just always say, that would be very difficult for me.<\/p>\n
SI:\u00a0 Everyone talks about the tennis offseason. What is it actually like? You know we see the pictures from the Maldives. But no one actually\u2014<\/p>\n
AA: Yeah, I guess not many people post like what I do in a day, or training videos! My last offseason last year was very different to the one this year. I had a lot more time than I did this year. This year, I only ended in mid-November. I always want to start with a one- or two-week fitness block, where I don\u2019t play tennis, and I’m just working on my fitness and trying to get a good base. Then I start playing for maybe six weeks. So that\u2019s like an ideal preseason, but now that it\u2019s so short, we kind of just went straight into both fitness and tennis. And I had my two weeks off as well.<\/p>\n
SI: No, nothing?<\/p>\n
AA: Yeah, just two weeks off. I would go on walks and jogs in the second week, just because I don\u2019t like to go too long without any physical activity. But I went to New York for my one week off, and then the second week off I spent in Miami\u2014it was great. I sleep in. And I don\u2019t have a schedule. I can just do whatever I want. It\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n
SI:\u00a0 How are you processing this year now that you\u2019ve had a little detachment?<\/p>\n
AA: I\u2019m so happy with my year. Like, it\u2019s been such a great year, and I think that I did more than I expected, for sure. I achieved things that I\u2019ve always dreamt about. But then I also feel like there\u2019s so much more room for improvement and a lot of big goals I\u2019m still chasing for next year. And I think I can just take a lot of lessons, just a lot of takeaways from this year in terms of where I\u2019ve grown as a player, and also what I need to do better next year. And I think a lot of the experiences I had this year are really beneficial for me going into next year.<\/p>\n
SI: How old do you feel?<\/p>\n
AA: As a tennis player, I have feelings, just because I\u2019ve been on tour since I was 16, so in that sense, I feel like it\u2019s been a long time. But at the same time, I don\u2019t like feeling old and feeling Ohhh, there\u2019s this new generation, and I\u2019m not part of that anymore. It\u2019s like a weird transition. So I like to think \u2026 I\u2019m still part of the younger crew on tour, and I still have many more years left to play, which I hope I do. So, yeah, I try to, like, think about myself as, you know, not on the older side, but then when it comes to real life, I feel like I feel a lot older than I am.<\/p>\n
SI: You feel older as a person than a tennis player?<\/p>\n
AA: I don\u2019t like feeling old in tennis. I don\u2019t think anybody wants to.<\/p>\n
SI: What makes you most proud of this year?<\/p>\n
AA: I think my consistency, because I feel like I started the year off well. In February, I already won my first [Masters] 1000 and then did well in the middle of the year, and then also was able to win another [Masters] 1000 at the end of the year. And that was so huge for me, because in the past, that\u2019s something I really struggled with\u2014backing those results and showing up and competing week after week, like bringing a really high level. That\u2019s the biggest thing that you know I’ve done to grow as a player.<\/p>\n
SI: The U.S. Open match, the revenge match. Let\u2019s discuss\u2014<\/p>\n
AA: Yeah, that is another one I\u2019m really proud of. I think prior to that match, I told myself that it\u2019s a new day and it\u2019s a new match, new tournament, new everything, and to treat it as such, despite what had happened, like a month ago, and how difficult that was. So I just told myself, this is just a completely new experience. And kept, like, telling myself to focus on that. And then I had gotten to the gym to warm up for my match, and they were just like, playing the replay [of the Wimbledon final], but I didn\u2019t look. I could see my peripheral, like, ESPN \u2026 I think that actually fueled me a little bit. I was like, O.K., we got this.<\/p>\n
SI: Compare the feeling of winning that match to totally flipping the script to winning a tournament.<\/p>\n
AA: Yeah, it was really cathartic, I think. And it kind of told a story, which I thought was cool.<\/p>\n
SI: What was the story?<\/p>\n
AA: That you can come back from something like that, which was all over the headlines, and not the greatest thing to experience, and that\u2019s O.K. Like it happened, and then you can rewrite the story or the script. And I was really happy with the way I was able to show that, and even if I didn\u2019t win that day. I mean, obviously, that\u2019s out of my control, but just showing up and doing my best, and that\u2019s what I did. I knew that wasn\u2019t me that day anyway, so …<\/p>\n
SI: When a match tightens, what do you cling to? What do you grab on to?<\/p>\n
AA: Oh gosh, all I can associate like that sentence with is the stress and, like, my heart rate at that moment. I think we all still experience it. It\u2019s just like, it\u2019s so stressful. And I think the match that I think about most when you say that is like when I played Naomi [Osaka] in the [U.S. Open] semifinal this year. That was just such a crazy match. And I think I\u2019m really learning as I go. I keep learning more about myself, and I’ve had a lot of three-set wins this year. So I think in those moments, I’m like, Okay, like, let\u2019s push it up a bit more. And I always kind of find that extra 10% in those really tight situations, which I think some players kind of get nervous and start missing more. And I think that I actually do better when I feel like the really high stress environment or situation, where there’s more on the line and I need to kind of step up. And I think I’m really able to do that.<\/p>\n
SI: Where does that come from?<\/p>\n
AA: I\u2019ve always kind of been like that, even as a kid in juniors. I just handled those moments so well. And I think it comes down to personality. I think everyone is just different with handling stress and pressure. And for sure, I think in some ways it doesn\u2019t serve you. Obviously, it\u2019s helpful in some ways, and then in some ways it sets your whole nervous system off, but I perform well under stress.<\/p>\n
SI: Monica Seles always said \u2018I got a tennis player [personality] and a totally different personality away from this.\u2019 And other people are like, Oh yeah, that\u2019s my personality. To what extent do you recognize yourself as a tennis player?<\/p>\n
AA: Sure. It\u2019s such a different circumstance you\u2019re in when you\u2019re in a tennis match, as opposed to just hanging out with a group of people. But yeah, I feel like I\u2019m quite the opposite in those two situations. Like, if I\u2019m just hanging out with friends, and in my day-to-day life, I\u2019m very laid back and social, and I kind of don\u2019t take anything too seriously, actually. And then the match is like the complete opposite, like it\u2019s very serious, and what the hell is going wrong if it\u2019s going wrong, and I\u2019m very much a perfectionist. But then in my day-to-day life, I\u2019m quite the opposite.<\/p>\n
\u00a0SI: When\u2019s your offseason over?<\/p>\n
AA: I leave [for Australia] the day after Christmas. Yeah, I haven\u2019t done a New Year\u2019s in probably, like, 10 years. This New Year\u2019s is probably going to be fun, because I think I\u2019m gonna play in Brisbane, and that\u2019s where my best friend Priscilla [Hon] lives, and so I\u2019ll probably be able to do something with her.<\/p>\n
SI : You had a really good result in Australia when\u2014<\/p>\n
AA: Yeah, I got to the Round of 16, and I was 17. Yeah, that\u2019s my first Australian Open. I never played juniors. My parents thought it was ridiculous to go so far for juniors.<\/p>\n
SI: They were right.<\/p>\n
AA: Which I agreed with even the first time flying there. I\u2019m like, I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m gonna survive this flight. It\u2019s so long, and now I don’t even think of it as long. I\u2019m so used to it.<\/p>\n
SI: Would you want to coach you?<\/p>\n
AA: I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m biased but I\u2019m pretty easy to coach. Like, I feel like I\u2019m a good listener. I don’t really like to talk back. I mean, unless I have something important to say, or I think this needs to be done, and I also think it;s important, I think on my own. I\u2019ll say stuff like, \u201cO.K., this needs work.\u201d Or, like, \u201cI need to do this.\u201d But I\u2019d say I\u2019m, like, pretty good to work with. I would want to work with me. I have my bad days\u2013we all do.\u00a0<\/p>\n
SI: I feel like you\u2019re a great advertisement for time off. Did you ever think, like, We\u2019re good, you know what \u2026 ?<\/p>\n
AA: If I were never to come back? Is that your question?<\/p>\n
SI: Yeah, if you were like, You know what, we\u2019re good, move on. Career 2.0.<\/p>\n
AA: No, that didn\u2019t really sit well with me when I took my break, and I was kind of thinking about that, like, what if I never came back and just kind of called it quits? And I didn\u2019t really like the thought of that. I spent so much of my childhood and my life sacrificing so much for the sport, and I had, like, all these goals and ambitions, right? Like, winning the Grand Slam. I still had, like, so many things I wanted to achieve in my career. And also my family, like, sacrificed so much for my career. And obviously, that wasn\u2019t a given that it was going to be easy and that I would even make it back to where I had stopped, because I was already in a really good position.<\/p>\n
I mean, my ranking was still pretty decent. And, you know, I knew that in the back of my head, I knew I was going to have to work my ass off, but I was ready to do it. I just needed that time to reset. At that moment when I was making my decision, people said, Oh, just push through this. Or, like, it\u2019ll get easier and just, like, try and get through it. But I think if I had done that, it would have set me back even further. Yeah, I think it was the best decision ever. And I think it also changed me as the person I am off the court. When I came back from my break, I\u2019ve just been growing into this, into the person I am, and just becoming more comfortable and more free with myself. And I think in a way that kind of like lifted a weight off of my shoulders, because I had started my career off so young and had, you know, success, and I think I always struggled with finding a sense of identity, and just I didn\u2019t know, should I, like, be completely myself, what\u2019s appropriate? And now I\u2019m like, oh, it\u2019s totally fine to like, be completely myself and authentic to myself. And I\u2019m just so happy I\u2019m able to do that.<\/p>\n
\u00a0SI: What\u2019s your relationship with time?<\/p>\n
AA: I\u2019m not really someone who, like, thinks so far into the future. Like I have my own goals and things I know I want to achieve, but life is so unpredictable. And I think there\u2019s no point in saying, Oh, I\u2019m just gonna play for another seven years, like end this year, and that\u2019s it. Like, I don\u2019t really think that way. But right now, I\u2019m enjoying it, and I\u2019m really excited for next year, and I feel like for everything that\u2019s to come, I feel like my career has, like, kind of restarted in a way. So, yeah, I just feel like it\u2019s really exciting.<\/p>\n
More Tennis on Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2022 Here\u2019s this week\u2019s Served podcast with special guest Frances Tiafoe. \u2022 Thanks to those who wrote about…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[99,428],"class_list":["post-341837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}