The hard-court season is heating up, and eyes are now turning to the US Open, where the best players will clash on the courts of Flushing Meadows. With the excitement bubbling over from the Paris Olympics, the stakes are higher than ever as players gear up for this Grand Slam. But before the fierce battles begin under the bright New York lights, there’s already been some action off the court—the race for those coveted wildcards. In a move that’s generating quite the buzz, Amanda Anisimova has secured her spot.

The 22-year-old faced Jessica Pegula in the finals of the Canadian Open in Toronto. While she lost in three sets 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, there seems to be a victory in defeat for the American star player. Ranked 132 in the World, Anisimova received a wild card entry from the USTA as soon as she made a place for herself in the finals of the Canadian Open, giving her the opportunity to prove her mettle on the hard courts, yet again.

In a press release on August 12, the USTA shared,  “Learner Tien and Amanda Anisimova finished atop the standings for the 2024 US Open Wild Card Challenge and each clinched singles main draw wild cards into the 2024 US Open.” Continuing further, the association highlighted the fact that the star player reached the first WTA 1000 of her career, thereby giving a concrete reason for her inclusion at the US Open.

Remember, Anisimova herself expressed her desire to win a Grand Slam earlier and has an apt shot to take at the US Open. En route to her Toronto Open finals, she upset the World No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka after which she expressed her desire for her career. “It’s just small steps in the right direction to hopefully achieve the things that I want to be able to achieve, like winning a Grand Slam, and becoming No. 1 one day, so, yeah, I just, I hope that with all the training I do and staying healthy I can get to that point.”

For the unversed, the star player had taken an infinite break from tennis in 2023, citing mental health concerns and burnout. While she made a return this year after a long eight-month hiatus, she found herself down the ladder in the WTA rankings. 

But things have changed for good for the rising WTA star. She has now improved her rankings drastically. As per the live WTA rankings, Anisimova is now placed within the top 50, clinching the 49th spot. However, Anisimova’s dream campaign is not free extreme scrutiny from the tennis world. 

Anisimova fiercely shuts up critic’s body-shaming comments 

Anisimova received great praise and support for her desire to reach the No. 1 spot in world tennis. But amidst the list of well-wishers, there was one who did not fail to criticize the star player. However, Anisimova took no offense against her and slammed the so-called tennis enthusiast fiercely.

As soon as The Tennis Letter posted excerpts from the interview, one user wrote a series of comments under the tweet. “First things first: Stop eating like a cow 🐮.” The user did not stop at body shaming and went on to question her goals by connecting them with her weight. “Why? She wants to be a world Nr. 1 player and win a GS. Being overweight as a professional athlete doesn’t really help her reach her goals.” But Anisimova was brutal in her response.

Questioning the ulterior motive and slamming the user, Anisimova responded to the post. “Don’t you have anything better to do than comment on a 22-year-old’s body? Like do you have a job or friends? Damn, dude 😳 trust me, I’m okay and I don’t think anyone here is asking for your advice lolz.” Rightly so, at just 22 of age, she is playing her best tennis.

As the season progresses, it would be interesting to see if the American star player can continue her momentum and win big at the US Open as well.