Wimbledon star snubs finals as she switches allegiance following press conference tears | Tennis | Sport

US tennis star Amanda Anisimova opted to miss both of this year’s Wimbledon finals in favour of watching England’s World Cup clash with Norway live in Miami. Anisimova was left in tears after her SW19 exit earlier this month.

Following her third-round defeat by fellow American Madison Keys, the 24-year-old broke into tears during her press conference at the All England Club. She said she planned to fly home to the US and take a break from tennis before preparations ramped up for her home Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows. Anisimova did just that but surprised fans by switching sports and deciding to watch England’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway on Saturday in Miami, Florida.

The tennis ace was joined by compatriot Coco Gauff, who had herself lost to Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals last Thursday in a hard-fought three-set affair. The pair enjoyed the change of pace in comparison to the stresses they encountered at Wimbledon.

They smiled and posed for pictures as they enjoyed a view of the Miami Stadium pitch from one of the corporate VIP boxes. Anisimova blissfully declared: “We’re not at the tennis anymore.” She even wore a Three Lions home jersey to showcase her support for Thomas Tuchel’s men.

Of course, their appearance meant neither of the US tennis stars attended the women’s final at Wimbledon. The clash between Muchova and Linda Noskova ended just three hours before kick-off in Miami, in favour of the latter. That meant they also left before Jannik Sinner reclaimed his Wimbledon crown in a four-set thriller against Alexander Zverev on Sunday.

Anisimova could be forgiven for wanting to take some time away from the court. Having suffered a brutal defeat to Iga Swiatek in last year’s final, she was reduced to tears following her Wimbledon exit this time around.

She said: “I feel like I’m doing everything I can and working really hard. So, for my game to still be at this point, it’s really hard to digest and take. It’s almost like I’m playing at a 125,000 level, not Wimbledon. That’s what I was saying to my coaches earlier. I don’t know.

“For me, it wasn’t enjoyable to play out there today with my tennis being like that. It was really, really tough. And when I’m happy and I’m enjoying it, it’s when I’m able to play my tennis. But when I’m not able to make one forehand on the court, it’s really, really hard. So, I don’t know. I need to go home and take some time and figure out how I can fix this.”

Anisimova said she wasn’t struggling physically, then began to tear up and added: “Sorry. I was excited to go back out on Centre Court, especially playing on Court 2 the last two days. So I was really eager to play. Obviously nervous, because I know my level hasn’t been great lately. I was very aware of that.”