Amanda Anisimova made a winning return to Grand Slam tennis on Sunday, delivering one of the biggest upsets on Day 1 by defeating 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova in her first major match since last year’s Australian Open.
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The American, competing in just her second tournament since announcing an indefinite break from the sport in May 2023 citing “unbearable” mental health and burnout, took an hour and 24 minutes to oust Samsonova 6-3 6-4 at Kia Arena.
“She’s an amazing player, I knew that wasn’t going to be an easy match,” said Anisimova, who reached a career-high ranking of No.21 in 2019.
“I was going into it, win or lose, I was going to enjoy my time out here.
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“I’m really blessed to be able to play here in a Grand Slam, especially [the] Australian Open, I really love this one right after [the] US Open, it’s like my second home tournament and I’m just so excited to be back here and with a win.”
During her break from the sport, Anisimova began painting and dubbed her project “Art for Hope”. It’s an outlet that she says has been invaluable.
“I’m not just a tennis player, I enjoy doing other things," she said.
"Being able to have a different passion and the platform that I have to support great causes like I do with my website – hopefully I’ll have more paintings when I come back because they’re all sold out right now – but it’s really something that I’ve been enjoying doing and it makes me feel good that it’s all going to a great resource.”
The world No.442, whose art was shown at a gallery in New York City, donates a portion of proceeds from her artworks to organisations that combat mental health, child abuse and hunger.
“I believe that everyone deserves access to resources and support, no matter what their background or circumstances may be,” she posted on a website through which she’s selling her pieces.
“Mental health is a crucial component of overall wellbeing … yet [it] is often stigmatised or overlooked, leading to lack of access to resources.”
Melbourne Park has proven to be a happy hunting ground for the 22-year-old right-hander, who reached the fourth round in both 2019 and 2022. This fortnight, a rejuvenated Anisimova will be eager to match or better that feat.
“I'm looking forward to the next round,” said the American, admitting that she's enjoyed having a racquet back in her hands after a four-month break.
Anisimova said she was pleasantly surprised to find that her game and shotmaking hadn’t deserted her when she resumed training in September. “That was really nice, just going back out there and feeling like I never stopped.
“The most important thing is that I feel a lot more refreshed – I'm enjoying practicing, I'm enjoying every second that I'm out there. Even when I was down today, I was still just enjoying the challenge.
“I was very burned out while I was playing, and that really wasn't a nice feeling. Being able to just reset is really nice."
In addition to her artistic endeavours, Anisimova has been pursuing a business degree with a minor in psychology since 2020. During her break, she transferred to an in-person course at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, and said she plans to complete her studies over the next 18 months through a remote program offered by Indiana University.
Here in Melbourne, the 22-year-old is trying to retain a slice of normalcy. Instead of checking into a hotel, like most of her WTA Tour rivals, Anisimova is sharing an apartment with Australia’s Priscilla Hon.
“Just getting to be with my best friend here is really good,” she smiled.