AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2024

Amanda Anisimova

Press Conference

A. ANISIMOVA/L. Samsonova

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Amanda, great win today. Welcome back to Melbourne Park. Just talk us through your thoughts on the match and how you're feeling, as well.

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: I'm feeling really good. I think I played really well today, and I'm just really excited to be back. Yeah, I'm looking forward to the next round.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. So what was the hardest thing about coming back, especially once you said, I'm going to do this?

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: I think the training and the preparation. It's hard to find a good balance of knowing when to push more and when to stay cautious. Like preventing injuries was a hard one for me because I didn't touch a racquet for four months.

When I started training in September, it was just hard to push myself because I had some setbacks, but then I found a good balance, and I had a good preseason. So I think that was the toughest part because I really wanted to come to Australian Open. So to make sure that I was healthy, that was the trickiest one.

I'm here and feeling good, so we made it.

Q. How did you know that you were ready to come back? Was it something you could feel, or was it just a bit of a 'let's see how this goes' mentality?

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: Yeah, I was playing it by ear throughout the year, but my plan was to start training again September. When September came around, I was feeling good and ready to start training again. Once I did, I was enjoying it. So I just said, Okay, this is the start of my preseason, and I kept going.

Q. You said you put the racquets away for four months. When you come back to them, are there parts of your game which are just there naturally and other parts that you have to work harder at?

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: Everything was there. It was kind of like I never stopped playing actually. It was just the fitness part because I'm a human, so that's obviously going to go away, and you have to build that up.

But my game and my shots, I was actually playing great from what I thought the first week with my coach. So that was really nice just going back out there and feeling like I never stopped.

Q. I saw you went to Nova Southeastern. I wonder what you were studying there, and did you hit with the tennis team?

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: I was doing Indiana since 2020 online. Then I transferred in person. And I really enjoyed my experience there. There were a couple of girls who play tennis. They weren't on the team, but I actually did end up practicing with them one day when I didn't have a hit, so I asked them to go hit with me at the courts there. So we did that.

Yeah, I'm doing a business degree with a minor in psychology. So I transferred back to Indiana now.

Q. When does that wrap?

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: I still have like a year and a half.

Q. Just with the win in Auckland over Anastasia and then today, two very good opponents, do you feel like you've needed these wins, some sort of confirmation, or would it have been terrible to go 0-2 and go home? Once you got them, did you feel like, Okay, I kind of needed that?

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: I mean, that's kind of a hard question. Of course, I'm happy with the win, but I expect a lot out of myself. Win or lose, I don't think it would really matter to me. If I lost, then I would just go back to training.

I'm just here for the journey right now and seeing how much I can progress. I think I would take it with whatever outcome I would get. But I am happy with the wins, and I really hope that I can build on from it.

I'm happy with today's win, but I'm trying to just stay settled, and yeah...

Q. Do you have a new outlook on your tennis after having a break last year?

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: In some ways I do. But the most important thing is that I feel a lot more refreshed. I'm enjoying practicing. I'm enjoying every second that I'm out there. Even when I was down today, I was still just enjoying the challenge.

Yeah, I'm just happy with how I feel coming back. I feel like I was very burned out while I was playing, and that really wasn't a nice feeling. Being able to just reset is really nice.

Q. You started selling art as well. Does that give you an outlet away from tennis?

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: For sure, yeah. It's mostly when I'm training at home that in my free time that I'll be doing that. Right now I obviously can't be doing that. But I look forward to it. Once I come back, I have some things in mind that I want to get back to with that.

Q. A lot of players have had time away from the sport, whether forced due to injury or out of choice, and have described nothing being able to replace the adrenaline of competing and the feeling of winning. Did you find that to be true? Could anything compare?

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: For sure it's a nice feeling winning matches. Being in that high-stress environment is unlike anything else. But I also really enjoyed my time at home. I think it's really special to just spend time with my friends and family and just have a normal day-to-day life. To me both of those are quite nice.

But I didn't miss it in a sense, just like the daily grind. I don't know. They're just both very different sides to life. But I don't mind the normal day-to-day life because I do like being at home. I get really homesick when I'm on the road, so that's something that I struggle with a lot.

Q. You said you put your racquets away for four months. Are you like a workout fiend or gym rat, or did you just shut it all down?

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: I was going to the gym actually, and that's something that I enjoy doing on my own. Sometimes when I'm going through a training block, I'll ask my coaches, Can you give me one day where I just go to the gym on my own, where I'm not being told what to do?

But I do enjoy working out. And I went hiking on some trips and just staying active. That's definitely something that I need in my life.

Q. Does it feel different being here now than it did last time, or is it just like you come back and everything is the same? I know you're not feeling burned out.

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: It's similar to how it was before. I'm staying with my friend, Priscilla, which is really nice for this time. And we're staying in an apartment, so it's not like a hotel room setting, so that's been very enjoyable. Just getting to be with my best friend here is really good.

Q. Priscilla is a big foodie. Is there a celebratory dinner tonight?

AMANDA ANISIMOVA: I'm not sure. I've been, like, staying in. Today I'm not celebrating. It's just like any other day. I think I'm just going to have some food and then go to sleep, so yeah.