“Just small steps in the right direction”– said Amanda Anisimova, after her successful run at the Canadian Open. The American would be meeting Jessica Pegula in the final showdown. It seems that she has finally picked up the racquet right from the mark when she left the court back in 2019. However, her steps in the direction of winning a Grand Slam are not admired by every tennis fan. One user was unable to separate his bias on how a tennis player should be from Anisimova’s latest success analysis. However, she is not just back, she is better and refuses to take any nasty opinion quietly!

Anisimova, 22, faced early adversity. A 2019 Roland Garros semifinalist, she suffered a devastating loss: her father and coach died a week before her 18th birthday. Struggling to regain form, she took a break in 2023. Now she is back with a better version of herself, defeating the 4 of the top 10 seeds to reach the finals in Toronto. While some fans cheered her success, there was one exception who focused on her physique over her game.

Anisimova has put on some pounds over the last year. However, that fact hardly matters when it comes to tennis and games, as it’s a personal choice. But when the Tennis Letter shared an excerpt from her interview on X, highlighting her goals: “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.” Well, this one tennis fan(maybe not) with a user named HhHaara, had a few nasty things to say.

He posted a series of three comments under the tweet. The first being, “First things first: Stop eating like a cow 🐮.” He did not stop at body shaming. He even 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.” A regrettable and unacceptable way of expressing their displeasure with someone. But Anisimova made sure to give him a piece of her mind, for such strong rooted bias for the athletes.

Anisimova dismissed a body-shaming comment with sarcasm, questioning the commenter’s priorities and asserting her well-being. “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 despite whatever is her weight. The latter fact hardly plays any role.

However, the user refused to budge from his opinion despite the reply. He had more to add, after Anisimova’s reply. He said, “In this context, it doesn’t matter how old she is. And I do not care how her body looks. The only thing that matters for her as a professional athlete is not to be overweight in order to achieve the career goals she stated in that interview. You seem too stupid to understand that.”

To make the matter interesting, a fan defended Anisimova from the troll, calling the troller as “bald”. Anisimova playfully joined in, escalating the banter: “lol literally he lost his hair worrying about people he doesn’t know.”

Anisimova showcased a strong mentality to take down a hater. Maybe the new collaboration with her coach, Marc Lucero has come to her aid in more than just tennis. And it’s truly commendable!

Anisimova’s partnership with new coach, Marc Lucero, yields fruitful results

Serena Williams too was body-shamed many times during the peak of her career. The American’s innate power was questioned numerous times while being compared to her male counterparts. Body shaming might not be new to tennis, but it’s always hurtful. Moreover, receiving criticism while being at the top certainly pinches the other way. However, not for Anisimova, as her new coach has done wonders not only on her tennis but also on her mental strength. Truly an all-around development, which compelled the 22-year-old to praise Lucero.

She said, “I love Mark. I started working with him last November, and I’ve really been enjoying it. Um, he understands me as a player, as a person first. So that’s been really important to me and we have a good connection and yeah, he’s a really good coach.” Such a deeper understanding between a coach and their protege goes a long way in the career.

Anisimova is headed in the right direction, as the US Open approaches. Though before that she has the Canadian Open final to play, and maybe win to shut the haters with her racquet!