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Amanda Anisimova booked her spot in a maiden Grand Slam final at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, showcasing her characteristic power-hitting over the past fortnight. She will take on Iga Swiatek in the summit clash.
The American’s equipment has come under just as much scrutiny as her tennis itself over the course of her run. The first thing that comes to mind: what racket does she use? The answer to that would be the Wilson Blade 98.
Anisimova has been associated with Wilson for quite some time now, and her latest choice to bring those power-packed groundstrokes under control is the sharp Blade racket. Let’s get to know both the player and the racket better.
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Amanda Anisimova's Wilson Blade
Amanda Anisimova is someone who can generate a lot of pace off the ground. Both her serve and groundstrokes can go flying off the racket, so the one support that she needs from her equipment is slight stability.
And that’s where the parallel drilling grommet construction comes into play. This specific technique involves drilling the grommet holes parallel to each other instead of angling the holes. Such drilling allows the strings to move more freely upon impact, which in turn reduces the chances of players hitting the ball away from the sweet spot.
With a high-risk game like hers, Anisimova’s winner-error ratio would tilt heavily in favor of the latter stat. That said, she has managed to keep the numbers in check over the course of Wimbledon this year, with them standing at 164-193.
In three of her matches, the winners have either outnumbered the errors or been in a one-point deficit. The Wilson racket also provides an enhanced, firmer feel that increases stability and creates a more connected-to-the-ball feel.
And for someone who relies heavily on her timing and feel on the ball, it is advantageous to have a racket curated for those very purposes. As for the material, the racket comes in Braided Graphite + Basalt with a carbon fibre handle.
The racket’s 16x19 open string pattern also provides wider spacing, giving more room for strings to flex and recoil, thus generating a trampoline effect that infuses power into the shots. Balls coming off such a pattern also have inherently more topspin, which can come in handy for someone whose natural shots tend to stay as flat as Anisimova’s.
Amanda Anisimova strikes the balance at Wimbledon
“Brave” is the word both Amanda Anisimova’s coach and semifinal opponent Aryna Sabalenka used to describe her. And indeed she was brave. With as many winners and more errors than Sabalenka, she showed a greater willingness to go for her shots.
Whether it is the racket or plain self-belief that provides Anisimova with the freedom to go for her shots is something only she can answer, but whatever it is, it has helped her game all through this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
Amanda Anisimova was ranked outside the top 100 and failed to even qualify for the Wimbledon main draw 12 months ago. She was coming off a tennis break, one that she took to focus on her mental health after her father Konstantin Anisimov’s tragic passing in 2019.
During her time away from tennis, the youngster completed college courses, pursued her other interests, and came back to the tennis court rejuvenated. Success has come her way in the form of a WTA 1000 title in Dubai and a grass final at Queen’s Club this year. That said, she admitted that she was not hoping to reach the Wimbledon final.
“To be honest, if you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe you – especially not this soon,” Amanda Anismova said. “So many dreams of competing on this court. It’s such a privilege. To be in the final is just incredible.”
Anisimova beat the bit-hitting Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Linda Noskova as well as counterpunchers Dalma Galfi, Renata Zarazua, and Yulia Puntintseva, with varying degrees of ease. Her mental resolve has also come to the fore in multiple matches, and she will need it against Iga Swiatek, one of the fiercest competitors on the Tour.
Armed with her Wilson Blade 98, the youngster has the weapons needed to hit past just about any opponent. She can do the same to Swiatek, but will just need to a slightly more patient with the Pole.
“This doesn’t feel real right now,” Anisimova had said after booking a spot in the summit clash. Well, it was pretty real for Aryna Sabalenka at the other end of the court, who was chasing after balls being pulverised at her from the other end of the court.
Sabalenka had said after her French Open finals loss that Swiatek would have won the title had she made the final. Against an opponent as powerful as Amanda Anisimova, playing as well as she is on the slick grass, the World No. 1 would probably be feeling differently about Swiatek’s chances on Saturday.
