‘Pissed me off’: Sabalenka demands apology after lack of sportsmanship

Two incidents infuriated world number one Aryna Sabalenka during an explosive Wimbledon semi-final against Amanda Anisomova.

Aryna Sabalenka took a swipe at Amanda Anisimova over her behaviour during the American’s stunning Wimbledon semi-final victory on Thursday.

The world number one crashed to a 6-4 4-6 6-4 defeat against the 13th seed to shatter her dream of reaching a first All England Club final.

The Belarusian top seed had reached the previous three Grand Slam finals, but she paid the price for an erratic display in the blazing Centre Court heat.

Sabalenka lost her cool with Anisimova during the bruising semi-final and was still angry with her rival several hours later.

Two incidents infuriated the 27-year-old, who was unhappy that Anisimova celebrated winning a point too early.

“I was just trying to chase the ball. She was already celebrating it. I mean, that’s a bit too early. Then she kind of pissed me off saying oh, that’s what she does all the time’,” Sabalenka said.

The three-time Grand Slam champion said Anisimova’s antics inspired her to fight back in the second set.

“I was grateful that she actually said that because it actually helped me to keep fighting. I’m like, ‘OK, now I’m going to show you the tennis’,” she said.

“I came back because I got really angry in that moment, probably in the third set I should have remembered that.”

Sabalenka was also irked that Anisimova failed to follow the tennis tradition of offering an apology when she won a point thanks to a fortunate deflection off the net.

“I just looked at her and, I mean, for sure she didn’t hear me. I was like, ‘You don’t want to say sorry?’ She just wanted, I guess, badly to win this match,” Sabalenka said.

Aryna Sabalenka was not happy. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)

Ironically, Sabalenka’s rant came after she had opened her post-match press conference by telling reporters she would not repeat her French Open final outburst.

She was forced to apologise after claiming it was her poor play and not Coco Gauff’s performance that was the decisive factor in the American’s victory at Paris last month.

“Are you guys waiting for something? You’re not going to see the Roland Garros press conference, so anyone who was waiting for that, you can leave right now,” she said.

Sabalenka did give credit to Anisimova for her spirited display, praising the 23-year-old for being “brave” at key moments and admitting she was the better player.

Insisting she had learnt from the debacle at Roland Garros, Sabalenka added: “I just don’t want to face that hate again. We all can lose control over our emotions. It’s absolutely normal.

“Every time when I was really that close today to completely lose it and start yelling, screaming, smashing the racquets, I kept reminding myself that’s not an option, and it’s not going to help me to stay in the match and to fight for my dream.

“Even right now I took a bit more time before doing my media just so I can be Aryna, not that crazy person that been on that media day at Roland Garros.”

But, despite her protestations of a new-found maturity, Sabalenka could not help aiming a parting shot at the assembled media.

“Ha, ha, ha, you didn’t get anything,” she said before poking her tongue out.

Anisimova: From French semi at 17 to 400 in the world

Amanda Anisimova celebrates after winning against Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

Anisimova said she had proved the doubters wrong by reaching her first Wimbledon final just two years after being warned that taking a mental health break could ruin her career.

The 23-year-old will face five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the title match on Saturday.

It was a cathartic triumph for Anisimova, who was a rising star after reaching the French Open semi-finals aged just 17 in 2019.

The American struggled to live up to the hype after that breakthrough run at Roland Garros, which included a win over defending champion Simona Halep.

Anisimova stepped away from tennis in 2023 after suffering with depression brought on by the scrutiny and expectations that came with being a teen prodigy.

She was told that her exile could be fatal to her chances of competing at a high level when she eventually returned.

Immediately after returning to action last year, Anisimova dropped outside the top 400.

But she won the Qatar Open this February and showed she was comfortable on grass by reaching the Queen’s Club final in June.

After reaching her first Wimbledon semi-final, Anisimova was already guaranteed to move into the top 10 in the WTA rankings for the first time next week.

Now she is within touching distance of fulfilling her potential with a first Grand Slam crown.

“It’s different for everyone. It goes to show that it is possible,” she said.

“That’s a really special message that I’ve been able to show because when I took my break, a lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game.

“That was a little hard to digest because I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and win a Grand Slam one day.

“Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself. So that’s been incredibly special to me. Yeah, it means a lot.”

Anisimova drops her racquet as she reacts as she plays against Sabalenka. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)

Anisimova is only the second player in the Open era to reach a women’s final at a Grand Slam after losing in qualifying at the previous year’s event.

“When I came here, I said that it was a super special feeling to be seeded here after losing in the qualifying last year,” she said.

“It’s incredibly special. When it comes to the work ethic, I feel like I really enjoy the training and the process. I feel like with that, results will come.

“You’re just not sure when that will happen. For it to happen here is still a little bit unbelievable to me.”

Anisimova has never played Swiatek since turning professional, but the pair have a shared history dating back to their days on the junior circuit.

Swiatek beat Anisimova in straight sets in the Junior Fed Cup finals, a period the American still regarded fondly despite that loss.

“I used to enjoy those Fed Cup trips a lot. We had a lot of fun. She was a great junior,” Anisimova said.

“I did lose that match against her, unfortunately. I remember a lot of coaches were saying that she’s going to be a big deal one day. Obviously they were right.” Having gone through so much on her road to the Wimbledon final, Anisimova believes it is fitting that Swiatek should be her opponent.

“Iga is such an unbelievable player. She’s also been an inspiration to me. Her work ethic and all of her achievements have been really inspiring,” she said.

“I’m sure it will be an amazing match. Getting to compete against an unbelievable player again is going to be super special.”

Swiatek only drops two games in semi

Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after victory over Switzerland's Belinda Bencic. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)

Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek, not previously known for her prowess on grass, demolished former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0 in just 71 minutes on Centre Court to breeze into her first Wimbledon final.

“Honestly, I never even dreamt that it’s going to be possible for me to play in the final,” said the 24-year-old eighth seed.

“So I’m just super-excited and proud of myself and I don’t know, tennis keeps surprising me.

“I thought I had experienced everything on the court but I didn’t experience playing well on grass, so that’s the first time. I’m super excited and just enjoying it.” In baking conditions, Swiatek caught her Swiss opponent cold, racing into a 3-0 lead, and never relinquished her grip against her 35th-ranked opponent.

Bencic, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, at least got on the board in the first set, but in the second set the rampant Swiatek went up another gear and her opponent had no answers.

Swiatek has largely gone under the radar at this year’s Wimbledon, dropping just one set so far while every seed above her has been eliminated.

Four of her five major wins have come on the clay of the French Open, with her previous best performance at Wimbledon a run to the quarter-finals in 2023.

She made her first grass-court final at Bad Homburg just two weeks ago and is now into her second final on the surface.

Swiatek has won all five of her Grand Slam finals but standing in the way of a sixth major title is Anisimova in their first professional meeting.

- with AFP

Originally published as ‘Pissed me off’: Sabalenka demands apology after lack of sportsmanship