Amanda Anisimova's Wimbledon Revival: Inside the 2026 Comeback That's Captivating Tennis Fans

Amanda Anisimova is back on Centre Court with a point to prove at Wimbledon 2026. Twelve months after a heartbreaking runner-up finish, the 24-year-old American opened this year’s campaign by dismissing North Macedonian qualifier Lina Gjorcheska 6-3, 6-2, her sharp first-strike tennis hinting that the mental-health hiatus she took in 2023 is firmly in the past. Thursday’s second-round showdown against fellow former major champion Sofia Kenin has quickly become one of the marquee matches of Day 4, with fans eager to see whether Anisimova’s booming backhand and improved movement can neutralize Kenin’s counter-punching skills. Victory would keep alive her quest to become the first U.S. woman since Serena Williams to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish. Anisimova’s resurgence has been steadily building. Last season she captured her maiden WTA 1000 crown in Doha and finished runner-up on grass at Queen’s, results that vaulted her back into the Top 10 after the break she took to address depression and burnout. Surrounded by a tighter support team that now includes mental-skills coach Denise Shull, she says she is “enjoying the grind again” and drawing extra motivation from family who have flown in from Florida for the fortnight. Key to her 2026 success has been a heavier first serve—averaging 113 mph this grass season—and a net game polished during off-season doubles work with partner Caty McNally. Against Gjorcheska she won 14 of 17 forays forward, a tactical wrinkle she believes will be decisive versus Kenin’s deep-court return stance. The draw has opened enticingly: with No.1 seed Iga Swiatek on the opposite half and defending champion Elena Rybakina withdrawn, Anisimova could avoid a Top-5 opponent until the semi-finals. For a player who shocked Simona Halep as a 17-year-old at Roland Garros, the path to a first Grand Slam title has rarely looked clearer. Search interest in “Amanda Anisimova” has soared this week as fans track her comeback narrative, and ticket resale platforms report a 35 percent jump for her scheduled Court 1 slot. If she keeps combining fearless baseline power with newfound composure, Wimbledon’s story of redemption may belong to the American who once stepped away—and has returned stronger than ever.