Amanda Anisimova Breaks Down in Tears as Reporter Asks Question on Demised Father

Rising tennis sensation Amanda Anisimova burst into tears and left her post-match press conference following her defeat at the Australian Open 2020. The American was distressed by a question raised by one of the reporters at the press conference which left the teenager in tears.

In August 2019, Anisimova’s father passed away suddenly due to a heart attack. The tragedy, which happened just days before the US Open 2019 and week before her 18th birthday, left Anisimova in pain. The phenom pulled out of her home Grand Slam event and has been lying low since then.

“Do we really have to talk about this?”: Amanda Anisimova

In the context of her father’s heart attack death in August, an Australian writer asked the 18-year old, “do you feel unsettled?”

In her reply, Anisimova said: “Do we really have to talk about this so fast after a match?”  Subsequently, she sobbed and burst into tears before leaving the conference room in sorrow.

Anisimova’s new coach is Carlos Rodríguez noted: “I don’t think Amanda has gone through the mourning process completely. We have to be very careful and very sensitive and not rush things. The last few months, she has had a very difficult situation and not much time to react.”

The World No.24, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open last year, fell short of Zarina Diyas in three sets. This was her first major tournament since the death of her father in August.

Certainly, the timing of the question was not right after the teenage suffered a major setback, knocking out of the Australian Open 2020 in the first round. In addition, she is still grieving about her father’s death and will take some time to get over the tragedy to focus on her game.

“It’s very frustrating”: Anisimova

“Things are still pretty tough but I was excited to play in the Australian Open as it’s my favourite grand slam,” she said in the press conference. “I have good memories of it.”

The American said the shoulder injury hampered her preparation and restricted her training. “It’s very frustrating but it’s nice to get back to work and you only learn from days like this,” she said.

“I feel like I didn’t get enough preparation in as I was missing some practice days with a shoulder injury. But it’s a bit better now and I’m just happy it’s not too serious and I can keep working,” Anisimova concluded.

Amanda’s Australian Open campaign isn’t completely over as she is set to play mixed doubles, partnering with Nick Kyrgios.