The 2025 Wimbledon women’s final was a historic clash, not just for its outcome but for the seismic shift it revealed in Iga Swiatek’s game. Amanda Anisimova, the 23-year-old American who faced Swiatek in the championship match, walked away from a crushing 6-0, 6-0 defeat in just 57 minutes, yet her post-match reflections centered on a striking observation: Swiatek had transformed into a “different player” on grass, a surface long considered her weakest. This dominant performance, which marked Swiatek’s first Wimbledon title and her sixth Grand Slam, underscored a newfound adaptability that left Anisimova and the tennis world in awe.
Anisimova, who had battled her way to her first Grand Slam final by toppling world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, entered Centre Court with high hopes. Her powerful backhand had been a weapon throughout the tournament, particularly in her upset over Sabalenka, where she controlled rallies with aggressive, flat shots. Yet, against Swiatek, Anisimova found herself overwhelmed, managing only nine points to Swiatek’s 27 and committing 28 unforced errors, including five double faults. “She was a different player today,” Anisimova remarked, noting the tactical maturity Swiatek displayed. “She came out playing very, very well. So all the credit to her. She was able to really play the game she wanted, I think.” Swiatek’s relentless returning and pinpoint accuracy dismantled Anisimova’s game, targeting her backhand—a strength turned vulnerability under pressure.
Swiatek’s journey to this moment was anything but straightforward. Known as the “Queen of Clay” for her four French Open titles, she had struggled on grass, with her best prior Wimbledon result being a 2023 quarterfinal. Her 2025 season had been turbulent, marked by a doping controversy, a coaching change to Wim Fissette, and a dip to world No. 8 after failing to defend her French Open title. Yet, Swiatek’s preparation for Wimbledon was meticulous. After losing to Sabalenka in the Roland Garros semifinals, she trained on grass in Mallorca and reached the final at Bad Homburg, signaling her growing comfort on the surface. “I was really competing throughout the whole two weeks,” Swiatek said, crediting her focus on movement and serving. “I think I was serving great and I just leaned on that. Had a lot of confidence on every match.”
For Anisimova, the final was a harsh lesson in endurance. Having returned to competitive play in 2024 after a mental health break, her run to the Wimbledon final was a testament to her resilience. Yet, the physical and emotional toll of the fortnight was evident. “I was a bit frozen with my nerves,” she admitted, reflecting on her 33% first-serve percentage and the fatigue that led her to skip practice the day before the final. “If anything, it’s my physicality that I need to work on,” she added, acknowledging the stamina required for a two-week Grand Slam. Despite the loss, Anisimova’s ascent to the top 10 for the first time was a silver lining, and support from peers like Coco Gauff, who wrote, “so much to be proud of Amanda, keep your head up,” bolstered her resolve.
Swiatek’s performance was a masterclass in adaptation. Her 79% first-serve points won, the joint-second highest in the women’s draw, and her ability to limit errors to just 11 showcased a player who had solved the grass-court puzzle. “I feel like I have developed as a player,” Swiatek noted, highlighting her work on movement and “fast hands” to counter the low bounce of grass. Her coach, Fissette, emphasized patience and controlled aggression, a shift from her earlier tendency to overpower opponents. This evolution was evident as she smothered Anisimova’s game, using angles and a heavy topspin forehand to dictate play, a tactic that echoed her clay-court dominance but was newly effective on grass.
The match, the first Wimbledon women’s final double bagel since 1911, placed Swiatek in elite company alongside Steffi Graf, who achieved the same at the 1988 French Open. “It seems super surreal,” Swiatek said, still in disbelief at mastering a surface she once thought unattainable. “Honestly, I didn’t even dream of winning Wimbledon because it was way too far.” Her victory, witnessed by the Princess of Wales and a star-studded Royal Box, marked her as the eighth woman in the Open Era to win majors on all three surfaces, a feat that cements her legacy at 24.
Anisimova, despite the defeat, remained forward-looking. “I told myself, I’ll definitely come out stronger after this,” she said, viewing the loss as motivation. Her journey, from a ranking of 191st in 2024 to a Wimbledon finalist, mirrors Swiatek’s own resilience through adversity. As Swiatek celebrated with a hug from actress Courteney Cox and praise from Rafael Nadal and Billie Jean King, the tennis world buzzed with the implications of her grass-court breakthrough. For Anisimova, the sting of defeat was softened by the promise of future battles, with Swiatek’s transformation serving as both a challenge and an inspiration for the American to elevate her own game.
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