By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennisnow | Thursday, July 10, 2025
Photo Credit: Julian Finney/Getty
Amanda Animova transformed the famous center of the center court into a burial place for Aryna Sabalenka’s Wimbledon Dream.
Nr. Animova in 13 years old, burst back with the world no. 1 Sabalenka, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to her daughter Wimbledon’s final.
It is the third direct return SW19 to Sabalenka, who admitted that she has “more a hate relationship” with Wimbledon, but pledged that she would continue to pursue her dream of raising Rosewater’s dish.
“I lost three half, three difficult. Then I stopped playing. Then I was hurt,” Sabalenka said. “So I really have more a hate relationship now with Wimbledon, but I really hope that one day I will return it, if I have a love affair.
“Of course, if one day I will be able to win it, of course, I will look back on all these hard losses and think I still did it. Yes, now is hard, but I never give up, and I will come back stronger, for sure.”
Sabalenka, who was on a break in the final set just to see Animova wrapped four in a row, credited America as the “best player”.
Sabalenka with high planting summarized her emotional loss simply: “loss of absorption”.
“You always feel like you want to die. You don’t want to exist anymore, and this is the end of your life,” Sabalenka said. “But then you sit there a little, and think about what you might have done different in the match. I mean, you see things where you were not in your best in the match. You see the other player performs much better. You, how, can see things better.”
“But the first moment always the worst because whenever you compete in that tournament, and reach the last stages, you think you are approaching your dream. Then you lose the game, and you feel like, well, this is the end.”
Although Sabalenka gave Aniima a hug into the net after leaning, she admitted she felt friction in court against the 23-year-old.
The former emotional sabalenka said she was upset Animova did not apologize for a stroke his ordinary networks raised a hand in pardon even though the sincerity of such gestures is controversial-and she felt that Clendar celebrated a point during the second set that annoyed Belarus.
“She was already celebrating it. I was, like, I mean, that’s a little early,” Sabalenka said. “Then she aggravated me saying, oh, that’s what she does all the time.
“I was grateful that she actually said that because I was, as, it is actually helping me continue to fight. I am good, now I will show you tennis. So I came back because I was really angry at that moment.
In the early stages of the final group, it appeared that WTA gains the leader’s superior physicality and the variety could lead it to its first Wimbledon final.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ydhwnngl4m
After all, Animova played the main points with bold aggression. Animova rescued 11 of the 14 points of rest and won 24 out of 40 points played in its second service (60 percent).
Showing her inability to return more from those rest points, Sabalenka said her return game dedicated her to the match while Crediting aniimova for “bolder” when it mattered.
“I have to say I did my best. I gave everything I had at the moment,” Sabalenka said. “Okay, the return game didn’t work well. I still came back. I still had a chance. Then the last match I didn’t serve. I mean, I served, but it just destroyed my services.
“I have to say she was bolder today. Maybe when I was right, like, trying to stay at this point, she was, like, going to everyone – she was playing more aggressive. Sometimes I was just stopping her arms, making as mistakes I didn’t have to do.
“I think I should have been a little bolder today and remember that I am at the top of the ranking, and I can do it. I think at one point I forgot it.”
