A Wimbledon star who was trolled over her ‘giant boobs’ and ‘unathletic body’ has said she ‘feels like herself again’ after making her comeback
Wimbledon star Amanda Anisimova was trolled over her “giant boobs” but says she “feels like herself again” after struggling with mental health and burnout.
Anisimova, 24, took an eight month break from tennis after receiving criticism from one fan about her body, which said: “The most unathletic body ever! Narrow shoulders and giant boobs.” But the American returned to the court in 2024 and has been rebuilding her career, even reaching two Grand Slam finals last year.
However, Anisimova suffered a brutal defeat in the final at Wimbledon when she was thrashed 6-0, 6-0 by Swiatek inside an hour. But her bid to banish memories of the worst All England final defeat in more than a century started in comfortable fashion.
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
Having become only the third woman to lose a major final without winning a game, and the first at Wimbledon since 1911, her return to SW19 started with a 6-3 6-2 victory over North Macedonian qualifier Lina Gjorcheska on Court Two.
“Yeah, I feel good. I feel very refreshed,” she said. “I think the last two months really took a lot out of me, and just the start of the year, it wasn’t the best way to start things out.
“But at the same time, it’s part of the sport, and I feel like I did my best and tried to be as ready as possible for every single tournament that I have played.
“When I feel like I’m not ready, then I prefer not to compete. So yeah, I’m really happy that I took those few days off that I needed, and I feel much more like myself again, because I was starting to feel like I was getting a bit away from that.
“So, yeah, I just needed a bit of a reset. Yeah, I’m really refreshed and excited to be competing here.”
Asked why she felt she needed a break, Anisimova said: “I think just taking myself out of this environment for a little bit. It’s a lot of stress. It’s kind of the same routines every single day.
“I think the fact that I was injured and I had a lot of different changes that I was getting used to, and not being able to compete, it was new for me, especially because I wasn’t even home.
“So it was definitely a bit of a strange experience, having to train and train and not knowing if I’m ready to play the tournaments.
“I was also working hard and doing my best, and I think I just got a bit tired at the end of that. And then it’s always nice to see my family and my friends. It’s just a few days. To be at home where things feel familiar, I think that really helped me.
“Yeah, again, like I kind of felt a bit guilty maybe doing that, but at the same time, I’m human, and it was best for me. I’m really happy I did it, because I feel like I’m really hungry and very eager to play now. That’s the way I like to be.”
The sixth seed will face compatriot Sofia Kenin in the second round after she defeated Croatian Petra Marcinko 7-6, 6-4.