Amanda Anisimova dad died of sudden heart attack in tragedy days before her birthday

Amanda Anisimova will play in the Wimbledon final today

Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova’s father died of a heart attack just as she was making her breakthrough on the WTA Tour. Konstantin Anisimov was a major influence on his daughter’s career and served as her coach from a young age. A level-headed parent who railed against his contemporaries for raising their own children’s expectations, Anisimov worked in the finance and banking industry in Russia before emigrating to the United States alongside his wife, Olga Anisimova, in 1998. Amanda was born in August 2001. He got her into tennis at a young age and coached her throughout her junior career. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

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In 2017, he told the New York Times: "Definitely pressure is big and especially pressure is growing when she is doing unexpectedly good, because then it's very difficult to stay on course and be realistic and don't be delusional. "I saw a lot of parents who got immediately delusional and those stories end up in a very bad way. You can't over-train. You can't over-push." But in tragic circumstances, Anisimov died of a heart attack two years later. His death came only a week before Anisimova’s 18th birthday, just as she was preparing to play in her second US Open on home soil. She withdrew from the tournament immediately. After returning to the tour following his death, Anisimova, who is now 23, was asked if she felt “unsettled”, and she broke down in tears. After regaining her composure, she asked: “Do we really have to talk about this so fast after a match?” In an interview with the New York Post in 2020, Anisimova admitted of her father's death: "It was the worst thing that ever happened to me, it was very tough. But you can't change it, and you have to get back to life."

Amanda Anisimova defeated Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon

Anisimova’s remarkable turnaround in recent years is evidenced by the fact that she was beaten during qualifying at Wimbledon last year. Twelve months on, she is into the final and will face Iga Swiatek. She defeated world No. 1 and tournament favourite Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-final. Anisimova took a long break from tennis to protect her mental health and was working her way back up the rankings a year ago. She was ranked 191st in the world when she was beaten in the preliminary stage. "Every time I'm out of a Grand Slam or a tournament, I take a few days off. I don't turn my phone off, but I don't really follow [what is going on]," the world No. 13 said of that period. “I like to just relax and spend as much time with whoever I'm with. That's what I was doing [last year]. "A lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game. Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself [has] been incredibly special to me."

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