Amanda Anisimova Makes Wimbledon Final Years After Taking Extended Break

On Saturday, Amanda Anisimova, a 23-year-old American, will face Iga Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon.

For Ms. Anisimova, a one-time prodigy who was born in New Jersey but raised on the sun-splashed tennis courts of Florida, it is the latest and greatest chapter in a big-time comeback.

Not so long ago, Ms. Anisimova was not playing tennis at all. Instead, after announcing in 2023 that she would be taking an indefinite break from being a professional athlete, she decided to sample life as an ordinary 20-something. That self-imposed sabbatical may have been more restorative than anyone could have envisioned.

“When I took my break, a lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game,” Ms. Anisimova said at a news conference on Thursday after she defeated the world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, in their semifinal match. “Because I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and win a Grand Slam one day.”

As a teen, she climbed the junior rankings by working immensely hard at the game. She even won the 2017 U.S. Open junior title by beating another talented young American — Coco Gauff, now the reigning French Open champion.