Amanda Anisimova, a rising tennis star with two WTA titles, is not only known for her athletic achievements but also for her candid approach to mental health. In a recent Instagram post, she shared highlights from her tournament in Seoul, expressing her excitement for the city and her journey in tennis. While playing the sport is a key part of her fitness routine, she also enjoys hiking and embraces the mental and physical benefits it offers. Anisimova stepped away from the sport in 2023 to prioritize her mental health, opening up about burnout and how it impacted her career. Her honesty about her struggles aims to inspire others to take care of themselves and seek support when needed.
One of the ways that Anisimova stays in shape is by playing tennis. The Columbia Association states that the sport has a lot of benefits. “Tennis is an excellent full-body workout that releases feel-good endorphins to help you relax and relieve tension. Its low-impact nature also means your joints and bones will thank you. Because tennis includes short bursts of activity, it offers the same conditioning benefits of interval training, which has an unparalleled positive effect on the heart and lungs, slashing your risk of heart disease by 56% (!). Just an hour of play burns between 400 to 600 calories.”
Anisimova shared this photo on Instagram of herself hiking by the ocean. Piedmont states that hiking has a lot of benefits. “Hiking is a weight-bearing exercise that builds muscle mass and helps prevent osteoporosis. Hiking can help you manage your weight. It is a joint-friendly form of exercise that can keep arthritis sufferers more limber and mobile.”
In 2023, Anisimova shared what caused her to take a break from playing tennis on Instagram. She captioned the post, “Hey guys. I thought I’d make a post explaining what’s been going on and my plans. I’ve really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022. It’s become unbearable being at tennis tournaments. At this point my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for some time. I’ve worked as hard as I could to push through it. I will miss being out there, and I appreciate all the continuous support 🤍✌️”
Anisimova has a lot of support out there. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram post. “Sad with the result 😢 wish I could play more in front of you guys here, it’s absolutely my favorite place to play. Thank you to all the fans who came out, you guys are amazing. Shoutout to the guys in the corner behind me who were screaming, you guys were awesome 😂 Last year I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to play here this year 🖤 I’ll take away all the positives and lessons with me for next year, see you all then ✌🏽”
Anisimova talked about wanting to inspire others in an interview with The New Zealand Herald. “I was happy that I was able to be honest about the reason why I was stepping away,” said Anisimova. “Just being vulnerable about it [was] kind of freeing and takes a little bit of weight off my shoulders and if I can help other people in knowing that they are not the only ones struggling, they are not alone in it. It was really good to post about it and give some insight into mental health and that it is really important and taking care of yourself always comes first.”