By Andrew Kuo

The Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz men’s singles rivalry took center stage at the Wimbledon Championships earlier this month, and watching Sinner and Alcaraz duel in the final was, quite frankly, an exhilarating experience. But I don’t see the Sinner-Alcaraz clash as this Wimbledon’s defining moment–rather, it was Amanda Anisimova’s post-match interview after getting routed by Iga Swiatek in the women’s singles final that took my breath away.

Net Gain

Anisimova, 23, a native of Freehold, reached a milestone in her career this year by upsetting world No. 1 and top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the Wimbledon semifinals. Ansimova’s victory was especially remarkable because it followed a difficult period in her career when she stepped back from professional tennis to focus on her mental health. She had every reason to be confident heading into the Wimbledon final–but few anticipated how badly it would go.

What followed was one of the most lopsided finals in Grand Slam history, with 13th-seeded Anisimova losing 6-0, 6-0 in just 57 minutes to eighth-seeded Swiatek. Anisimova made 28 unforced errors on the day and lost 55 of 79 points in the match.

Getting defeated without winning a single game is a kind of defeat so terrible that tennis players have a special phrase for it: getting bageled. And the Wimbledon isn’t a run-of-the-mill tournament, either. It’s one of the four Grand Slams and happens to be the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament of the four. The last woman to ever get double-bageled at a Grand Slam final, Natasha Zvereva, was so devastated when she lost 6-0, 6-0 to Steffi Graf in the 1988 French Open final that she declined the on-court interview. Zvereva never reached another Grand Slam final.

But Anisimova opted to not decline her post-match interview after the Wimbledon setback. Instead, wiping tears away from her face, she complimented her opponent, apologized to the fans, and expressed gratitude for her mother’s unflagging support. Then she expressed her desire to come out stronger through a quote from author Marianne Williamson —  “Pain can burn you up and destroy you, or burn you up and redeem you.”

Although Anisimova wasn’t holding a racket, I would describe that interview as brilliant tennis. Because tennis isn’t simply about striking a ball. It’s a sport that measures your ability to put each point in perspective. It’s a sport that measures your ability to adjust and prevent conditions, expectations or opponents from throwing you off your game. To face brutal loss, to accept responsibility, to move forward with your life — that’s the epitome of playing tennis.

It’s also important to remember that failure is necessary for growth. Successful athletes or individuals fail more, not less. What ultimately sets them apart is their willingness to learn from those setbacks and keep pushing forward. While Anisimova could certainly have kept that approach in mind during her match, her post-match interview leaves me optimistic for her future; she’s clearly determined to keep pushing forward.

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Kuo is a rising Princeton High senior who starred at second singles this spring for the Tiger boys’ tennis team.