In 2019, a 17-year-old Anisimova put everyone on notice. Blessed with sweet ball timing, remarkably clean hitting and destructive power at such a young age, it was difficult not to get excited about the teenage prodigy.
Just months after beating Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Australian Open fourth round, she became the youngest player since 2006 to reach the French Open semi-finals, overcoming Sabalenka once more and world number three Simona Halep.
However, at the end of the year, she sadly suffered the devastating loss of her father, who was also her coach, leading to her skipping the US Open.
From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, Anisimova's results over the next couple of years were understandably mixed and inconsistent, before she came to a major decision in 2023.
Tennis is a sport that often offers no way out; the vigours of the WTA Tour mean you are travelling from country to country with no real break, constantly on the go and with little time to look after yourself or have a breather.
This started to catch up to Anisimova in 2022, and consequently, she opted to take a break from the sport in May 2023 to prioritise her mental health after struggling with motivation.
“I’ve really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022. It’s become unbearable being at tennis tournaments. At this point, my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for some time," she announced on Instagram.
It was a brave but admirable decision for a young up-and-coming star to make, and illustrative of what she was enduring and the difficulties of life on tour.
During her time away, Anisimova found a new love, swapping a racket for a paintbrush and taking her skills to a new canvas.
“I got into art when I was struggling with my mental health, and it was something that I did in my free time just to get my mind off of things,” Anisimova said after her third-round match at Wimbledon this year. “Once I was done with my training day or had a day off, it’s something I would do.
“I think before that, I didn’t have any hobbies or interests other than just, like, hanging out with my friends and family, so I wanted to find something that I enjoyed doing on my own.
“I feel like it’s just a very good getaway for myself. I enjoy going to museums, as well, especially in different cities, specifically in Europe.”
By the end of 2023, Anisimova began her preparations for a return to the sport, and in 2024, she was back competing, refreshed and mentally ready to go.
After a fourth-round run at the Australian Open at the start of the year, Anisimova was still finding her feet back in tennis, as she slowly rediscovered semblances of her very best towards the tail end of the season.
At the Canadian Open, Anisimova reached her first WTA 1000 final, seeing off the likes of Sabalenka and Emma Navarro, before losing in the final to Jessica Pegula in three sets.
She carried her momentum into the 2025 season, where she won the biggest title of her career at the WTA 1000 event in Doha, crushing Jelena Ostapenko in the final.
And Anisimova's game has started to evolve ever since. She has often struggled with injury issues as well as fatiguing at the end of long matches, but following the appointment of a new physiotherapist, these issues have gradually subsided, while also coinciding with improved movement around the court - which has been apparent on the grass of Queen's and Wimbledon.
It has now culminated in a run to the semi-finals at the All-England Club, with her defeating Pavlyuchenko in the last eight following a compelling - and frankly mad - second-set tiebreak, despite looking like finishing off the match a lot earlier in a lot simpler fashion.
But Anisimova showed laudable character to ward off five set points in that tiebreak to do it the hard way. In truth, it was quite fitting, as her career has been anything but straightforward.
This time last year, she lost in the final qualifying round at Wimbledon to Eva Lys. 12 months later, she is facing world number one Sabalenka in the Wimbledon semi-final. The artist is back painting irresistible pictures with what is arguably the best and most enchanting backhand in women's tennis.
Regardless of the outcome, Anisimova's progress is obvious for all to see, and she is starting to blossom into the player that everyone thought she would.
On Monday, she will rise to a career high of eight in the world rankings, and she could even be the world number five should she be crowned Wimbledon champion.
But at the moment, eyes are firmly on her clash with Sabalenka, and despite being the underdog, she goes in with a real opportunity to extend her winning head-to-head against the Belarusian to six victories and three losses.
All she has shown is character and growth throughout the years, and she should take massive pride in that. Now Anisimova will have to show plenty more resolve in what is surely the biggest match of her career.
Follow Anisimova vs Sabalenka in the Wimbledon semi-final at 14:30 on Thursday
