Aryna Sabalenka believes Amanda Anisimova deservedly reached the Wimbledon final on Thursday. The world number one was annoyed twice during the semi-final match by the American tennis player’s behavior.
Anisimova celebrated winning a point in the second set while Sabalenka, by her own account, was still playing. “I was trying to get a ball and she was already cheering,” Sabalenka said at the closing press conference.
“That was a bit early of her. That made me angry. But actually, I was happy about it because it kept me fighting and I came back. I was really angry at that moment.”
Sabalenka was also not happy that Anisimova did not apologize in the third set after making a point via the net. That is not required, but it is a custom in tennis. “I looked at her and thought: don’t you want to say sorry?” said the Belarusian top player.
“She probably really wanted to win. It’s up to her if she doesn’t want to say sorry,” said Sabalenka, who emphasized that Anisimova deserved to win. “She was braver in her game than I was.”
Wimbledon title remains elusive for Sabalenka again
Sabalenka acknowledged that she did not always have her emotions under control during the match. “We can all lose our patience sometimes. Every time I threaten to lose, I have the urge to scream and throw rackets. I reminded myself that that was not an option.”
The 27-year-old Sabalenka has lost all three of her semi-finals at Wimbledon. She has never won the Grand Slam tournament. “The love-hate relationship with Wimbledon is now a little more hate. I hope it will be a love relationship in the future.”
Anisimova will play in the final against the Polish Iga Swiatek, who, like the American, has reached the final in London for the first time. The match between the numbers sixteen and five on the ranking list starts on Saturday at 5:00 PM.