American Amanda Anisimova announced on Friday that she will be taking an indefinite hiatus from tennis, citing burnout and concerns for her mental health.
“I have been really struggling with my mental health and my burnout since the summer of 2022,” the former world number 21 wrote on Instagram. “It has become unbearable to be in tennis tournaments. At this point, my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for a while. I worked as hard as I could to get out of it.”
A 2017 US Open junior champion, Anisimova, now 21, broke through on the Hologic WTA Tour with aplomb at Roland Garros four years ago, where she dethroned defending champion Simona Halep to reach the semi-finals at 17 – the youngest woman to go this far at a major since 2006.
But later that year, just before the US Open, she lost her father and longtime coach Konstantin, who died aged 52 of a heart attack.
“It’s obviously the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through and the hardest thing that’s ever happened to me, and I don’t really tell anyone about it,” she told The New York Times. in 2020. “The only thing that has helped me is just playing tennis and being on the court. That’s what makes me happy, and I know that would make him happy, so it’s is like that.
Anisimova also reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon 12 months ago, upsetting Coco Gauff on center court along the way. She has also reached the fourth round of the Australian Open twice and defeated defending champion Naomi Osaka at the 2022 event in Melbourne.
Anisimova, winner of two WTA singles titles, gave no timetable for her return to her role, but thanked fans for their support. Currently ranked No. 46, Anisimova lost in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open last week to Arantxa Rus. She was 3-8 for the season at the time of her announcement.
“I will miss being there, and appreciate all the continued support,” Anisimova wrote.
