"People don't understand it fully, it can be very draining and isolating" - Amanda Anisimova on the difficulties of life on the tennis tour
American tennis star Amanda Anisimova has said that professional tennis is extremely demanding and a lot of people who watch the game casually and follow players on social media do not fully understand how difficult it is to be a part of the sport.
Anisimova, a junior US Open champion, reached the French Open semi-final in 2019 at the age of 17, losing to eventual champion Ashleigh Barty. She announced a break from tennis in May 2023 citing burnout and mental health issues.
Anisimova will be back in action on New Year's Day at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where she will take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round. It will be her first match since a first-round exit at the Madrid Open in April 2023.
"I think a lot of people who follow us on social media or watch tennis casually, they don't really understand it fully. I don't think anyone does unless you're in it, just how overwhelming and difficult it can be," Anisimova told WTA Insider in an interview.
The tennis world was unrelenting for the American. The non-stop nature of the tennis calendar left Anisimova with very limited time to pause and reflect on things happening around her.
"It can be very draining and isolating. I need to keep that in mind and make sure that I'm taking breaks and taking a rest day and resetting before the next one," Anisimova said.
Anisimova, who reached a high of No. 21 in the rankings, said that it was difficult to balance things and found tennis tournaments unbearable. That is when she decided to step back from the 'chaotic lifestyle of a tennis player'.
"You lose in a tournament and then you have to buy tickets and pack all your stuff and fly the next day and you're so exhausted from your match and upset. It's always like that, it's a constant cycle," she said in the interview.
Anisimova, who has hired Marc Lucero as her new coach, said that her goal now is just to do well in tournaments.
"Now my goal is just to do my best, what's in my control, get the most out of each day that I can and that's all that I can expect from myself. Going in with that perspective is more freeing," she said.
Anisimova took to art during her break from tennis
The American took to art among other things during her break from tennis. She completed a semester at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, did volunteer work and took road trips with friends.
"I started doing it (art) last year in October when I wasn't doing so well mentally. I always liked art when I was younger, so I bought canvases and paint and I thought I'd try it for fun," Anisimova said during the same interview.
She has set up a website to sell her paintings for charity. Anisimova said that getting to know about other things in life including her hobbies, likes and dislikes during the break brought a lot of mental clarity.
"I think gaining other aspects in life like connections, learning what I like and what I don't like, what hobbies I like to do, and not just tennis day in and day out, it's important for my happiness and mental clarity," she said.