"To be so honest and vulnerable as Naomi Osaka is, it's very special; I really look up to her on that" - Amanda Anisimova
Amanda Anisimova hailed Naomi Osaka's honesty and vulnerability and admitted to looking up to the Japanese for the two traits. Over the years, Osaka has been one of the most vocal players on the WTA Tour when it comes to mental health after experiencing her struggles. Anisimova too had decided to take a break from tennis last year, citing mental health concerns.
Right now, Anisimova is in red-hot form, having returned to the sport at the start of the year. The 22-year-old has reached the final of the ongoing 2024 National Bank Open in Toronto, where she is set to face compatriot Jessica Pegula on Monday, August 12. On her way to the final, the unseeded American has come out on top against No. 5 seed Daria Kasatkina, No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, and No. 8 seed Emma Navarro.
However, in early May 2023, things looked drastically different for the former World No. 21. At the time, she was on a dismal run of form that led to early exits from several prestigious tournaments, including the Australian Open, BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells), Miami Open, and Madrid Open.
On Friday, May 5, Anisimova announced via an Instagram post that she would be going on an indefinite hiatus.
"I’ve really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022. It’s become unbearable being at tennis tournaments. At this point my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for some time," read a part of Anisimova's announcement.
Fast forward to now, and the 22-year-old looks much closer to the player that looked to be on the verge of breaking into the WTA top 20 back in 2019. Following her National Bank Open quarterfinal win over two-time reigning Australian Open champion Sabalenka, Anisimova was asked at a press conference about her thoughts on Osaka's contribution to increasing mental health discussions in tennis and the Japanese's return to the WTA Tour earlier this season following her maternity leave.
In her response, the 22-year-old expressed her happiness at the former World No. 1's comeback. Anisimova also heaped praise on Osaka's level of play in recent months.
"Yeah, I'm super happy to see her back, and it seems like she's doing really, really well. Also, she had a baby, so I'm just so happy to see her accomplish all of that and also come back to the tour, especially at the level that she's playing at, it's honestly very inspiring and just amazing, as well as all the conversations that she starts and opens up," Anisimova said.
The former World No. 21 went on to laud the Japanese for being "honest and vulnerable"; two traits that have become synonymous with Osaka and helped facilitate open discussions with her on mental health.
"Yeah, I think that we're all very happy to have her in the WTA, and she's like a huge part of the tennis, and, yeah, just being able to be so honest and vulnerable as she is, it's definitely something very special, and I really look up to her on that," Anisimova added.
"Overwhelming and difficult" - Amanda Anisimova talked about the perception of tennis players' lives days before her return to the sport
Anisimova made her tennis comeback at the ASB Classic in Auckland at the very beginning of the ongoing season. Days ahead of her what was to be her first competitive outing in almost eight months, she said during an interview with WTA Insider that people who follow the sport casually often don't understand the stress that the players are under to deliver.
"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. 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 told WTA Insider.
Anisimova's run to the final of the National Bank Open has seen her make a staggering leap in the WTA Tour rankings. Ranked World No. 132 before playing her first-round match at the WTA 1000 event, she has now broken back into the top 50, with the new rank set to be made official following the conclusion of the tournament.
However, for her to go all the way and win the prestigious title, she would need to beat an opponent in Pegula who has got the better of her on both occasions they have clashed on the WTA Tour.