A rejuvenated Amanda Anisimova ended former world number two Paula Badosa’s injury comeback Friday at the Australian Open, admitting she could not believe how well she was playing after a long break.
The former teen prodigy, returning from eight months on the sidelines due to burnout and mental health issues, ground past the Spaniard 7-5, 6-4 to sweep into a fourth-round clash with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
“It’s quite unbelievable after taking some time off, but I’m really feeling good,” said the 22-year-old, who reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros and won her first WTA title aged 17, sparking sky-high expectations.
“The most important thing is I’m enjoying my time out here.
“Taking a step away and just really being at home, just resetting myself, it just gave me a different perspective going into these tournaments and I’m really trying to be present when I am here and enjoy every second.”
When Anisimova stepped away from the sport, she wrote on Instagram that it had become “unbearable being at tennis tournaments”.
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“At this point, my priority is my mental wellbeing and taking a break for some time. I’ve worked as hard as I could to push through it,” she said.
Now, back and refreshed, she rallied from 4-1 down in the first set before breaking Badosa in the seventh game of the second set to power home.
“The first set took a lot out of me. It was a very tough tie, Paula is a tough competitor and I had to really dig deep there,” she said.
Badosa missed the second half of 2023 with a stress fracture of the back.
But the 26-year-old, girlfriend of men’s world number seven Stefanos Tsitsipas, said ahead of the Australian Open she was much better and determined to recapture her best form.
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