"Would be very hard to finish my career without achieving those goals" - Amanda Anisimova on hunger to be World No. 1 & win a Grand Slam

Amanda Anisimova recently talked about her hunger and ambition to become the World No. 1 and win a Grand Slam in her tennis career. She said that achieving these goals is crucial for her and leaving the sport without accomplishing them would be a difficult pill to swallow.

After taking a break in 2023 due to burnout and mental health concerns, Anisimova made a comeback at the 2024 ASB Classic. She is currently competing at the 2024 Canadian Open, a tournament where she used her protected ranking to secure a spot in the main draw.

Anisimova began her campaign at the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament by defeating Caroline Dolehide and Daria Kastkina in the first and second rounds, respectively. She advanced to the quarterfinals after her third-round opponent, Anna Kalinskaya, withdrew due to an injury.

The 22-year-old then defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals and Emma Navarro in the semifinals to secure her spot at the summit clash, the first WTA 1000 final of her career.

During the post-match press conference following her victory over Emma Navarro, Amanda Anisimova shared that she aspires to become the World No. 1 and also win a Grand Slam title. She said that she wants to achieve these milestones in the near future and that failing to do so would make it "hard" for her to walk away from the sport.

"I think it would be very hard to finish my career without achieving those goals, so I really just want to give it my all, and hopefully in the years to come I'll be able to achieve that," Amanda Anisimova said.

The former World No. 21 said that she will do her best and keep playing her best so that she is able to secure the World No. 1 ranking and a Grand Slam title in her career.

"Yeah, just knowing that if I try my best and just keep playing that hopefully that will come one day. All I can really do is just work really hard every day and just do my best, and hopefully that will happen, and if it doesn't, at least at the end of the day I knew that I did all I could," she added.

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Amanda Anisimova will face Jessica Pegula in Canadian Open 2024 final

Amanda Anisimova [Source: Getty Images]

Amanda Anisimova will face the third seed and defending champion Jessica Pegula in the final of the 2024 Canadian Open. Anisimova has faced Pegula twice on the WTA Tour, losing both matches.

Their first encounter took place in the second round of the 2020 Cincinnati Open where the World No. 6 emerged victorious with a score of 7-5, 6-2. Their most recent meeting was in the second round of the 2024 Charleston Open where Pegula won 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3).

Talking about their match at Charleston in the aforementioned press conference, Anisimova stated that the match was a long one and despite losing it she was happy with the way she played and challenged Pegula.

"Honestly, I don't really remember it that well. I know it was three sets, it was a super-long match. I was happy with how I played that day, and I fought really hard. I know that I left feeling very proud of myself. Even though I lost that match, I was playing really well, and I think overall it was a good experience," Amanda Anisimova said.

Pegula, who is aiming to defend her title at the Canadian Open, secured her spot in the final of the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament by defeating Karolina Pliskova, Ashlyn Krueger, Peyton Stearns and Diana Shnaider.