Anisimova and Swiatek will face off at 10 p.m. today, 12/7, Hanoi time.

Currently ranked 12th in the world and seeded 13th at Wimbledon, the 23-year-old Anisimova's playing style is classic rather than revolutionary. She relies on powerful groundstrokes, a consistent strategy, and rarely approaches the net.

However, she has displayed exceptional strength on her path to the final. Anisimova dominated Yulia Putintseva (6-0, 6-0) before overcoming Linda Noskova (6-2, 5-7, 6-4) and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (6-1, 7-6 (9)). She then caused a major upset by defeating world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka (6-4, 4-6, 6-4) in the semi-final.

Throughout this winning streak, Anisimova has maximized her strengths to defeat opponents, particularly her return game and backhand.

American tennis player Amanda Anisimova returns a shot during her victory against Aryna Sabalenka in the Wimbledon 2025 women's singles semi-final at the All England Club, London, England, on 10/7. Photo: AFP

A top-tier return game

Anisimova possesses a sharp return game. In the semi-final, this aspect unsettled Sabalenka, despite her opponent being one of the most feared servers in women's tennis. With deep, powerful returns focused on the center of the court, the 23-year-old kept Sabalenka off balance from the first shot. Sabalenka ultimately faltered at the crucial moment, double-faulting on set point in the first set due to the pressure Anisimova exerted on her second serve.

The secret to Anisimova's powerful returns lies in her perfect timing. She maintains a long preparation without being rushed, generating more power. Against second serves, she stands close to the baseline, sometimes even stepping inside, to deliver decisive shots, gaining the upper hand in the rally. Combined with a solid stance and flexible weight transfer, Anisimova becomes a dangerous returner.

Wimbledon 2025 statistics show Anisimova leading the four semi-finalists (Sabalenka, Bencic, and Swiatek) in points won on second-serve returns (109) and second in points won on first-serve returns (121). She also ranks second in total return winners (18) throughout the tournament. However, the final against Swiatek will be a significant challenge, as Swiatek is one of the tournament's best servers with an impressive 78% first-serve win rate (169/216), the third highest in the tournament.

A world-class backhand

With her aggressive style, Anisimova has the most forehand (65) and backhand (56) winners since the start of Wimbledon 2025, surpassing the other three semi-finalists. She plays with precision and finesse, using her solid forehand to control rallies when given time to prepare. Otherwise, she counter-attacks, similar to Simona Halep's style, but with flat shots (minimal or no spin, powerful, and straight).

However, it's Anisimova's backhand that truly stands out. With impeccable technique, she executes her backhand with remarkable consistency, even with little margin for error over the net. She can direct the ball to any area of the court. In simpler situations, Anisimova doesn't necessarily need her forehand to win points, but her backhand is a different story. She has previously left Sabalenka stunned with her cross-court backhands.

Throughout the tournament, Anisimova has not hesitated to use her backhand in crucial moments: a backhand drop shot winner in the first round, a down-the-line backhand winner in the second, a backhand that earned her two match points—one converted thanks to four consecutive deep backhands in the third set, and another down-the-line backhand winner securing her place in the quarter-finals. In the match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, during the tense second-set tie-break, she secured the decisive match point with a stunning cross-court backhand passing shot.

"Anisimova is one of the best players in the world in terms of pure technique. From the baseline, she has the most beautiful backhand in tennis. She’s incredibly dangerous, constantly applying pressure and able to hit winners from anywhere," said Romain Deridder, Anisimova's coach from 2021 to 2022.

Hoang Thong (according to L'Equipe)