Sabalenka Brutally Honest About Anisimova After Wimbledon Loss

Amanda Anisimova reached her first Grand Slam final by beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 4-6 6-4 at Wimbledon. The thrilling contest was also not without controversy. Sabalenka did not hide her annoyance with Anisimova during two separate incidents of the match, and the Belarusian spoke openly about one of those moments in a press conference afterward.

What Caused Sabalenka to Become Frustrated With Anisimova?

During the second set, Anisimova hit a backhand winner, something she did numerous times during the match. However, the American celebrated before the point had bounced a second time, which is illegal by the rules. Although Sabalenka immediately looked up to the umpire Damien Dumusois, the French official did not penalize the 23-year-old. He spoke to her during the changeover, which Anisimova did not like, arguing that Sabalenka should not complain because she grunts loudly throughout the match.

Sabalenka became agitated again in the third set. Anisimova went 5-2 up after winning a point that included her getting a flick off the net that disrupted the world No. 1’s next shot. Rather than apologize, as usually happens after such moments, Anisimova celebrated moving to within one game of the final. Sabalenka could be seen asking Anisimova why she did not say sorry for the good fortune off the net as both players walked to their chairs.