Amanda Anisimova has found herself in unfortunate territory having lost her first two Grand Slam singles finals.
After being ‘double-bagelled’ by Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, Anisimova demonstrated remarkable resilience to defeat Swiatek on her way to the US Open final just two months later.
However, Anisimova’s brilliance could not overcome world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final, with the Belarusian winning 6-3 7-6 in Arthur Ashe Stadium. After the final, Sabalenka demonstrated her class, sending a heartfelt message to Anisimova on social media.
Anisimova must refrain from being too harsh in her self-reflection. After all, these legends of the sport also lost their first two [or more] Grand Slam finals.
Andy Murray
Andy Murray’s journey to Grand Slam success was an arduous one.
After all, the Brit lost his first four Grand Slam finals. In 2008, he lost in his first Grand Slam final appearance to Roger Federer in the US Open final.
In fact, Murray failed to win a single set in his first three Grand Slam singles finals, losing to Federer again at the 2010 Australian Open and Novak Djokovic at the same tournament in 2013.
Another major final came and went for Murray at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, where he lost to Federer again, this time in four sets.
However, the Scottish star broke his duck at the 2012 US Open, defeating Djokovic in five sets in the final. He would go on to taste Wimbledon glory in 2013 – defeating Djokovic again in the final – before winning Wimbledon for a second time in 2016.
Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters, like Murray, also lost four Grand Slam singles finals before going on to taste glory.
The Belgian star first reached a major final at the 2001 French Open, where she lost a marathon match to Jennifer Capriati, 6-1 4-6 10-12.
A further three major finals came and went: the 2003 French Open and US Open, and the 2004 Australian Open.
However, Clijsters finally leapt over the hurdle in 2005, defeating Mary Pierce 6-3 6-1 to win the US Open Women’s Singles title.
The Belgian went on to win each of the three Grand Slam finals she contested in the years that followed: the 2009 and 2010 US Open tournaments and the 2011 Australian Open.
Ivan Lendl
Before winning his first Grand Slam title at the 1984 French Open, Ivan Lendl had significant trouble getting over the line.
His first Grand Slam final came at the 1981 French Open, losing to Bjorn Borg in five sets. Over a year later, he lost the US Open final to Jimmy Connors, this time in four sets.
In 1983, Lendl came even closer, but again lost to Connors in the US Open final, in five sets.
His 1984 French Open final victory over John McEnroe paved the way for an extremely successful career, one that included reaching world number one and winning eight Grand Slam titles.
Simona Halep
Next is a player Amanda Anisimova will be quite familiar with, as the American has played her four times.
Romanian star Simona Halep also suffered a rocky start to life in Grand Slam finals, losing her first three before tasting major success.
Halep lost in the final of the 2014 and 2017 French Open, and the 2018 Australian Open.
The Romanian would only have to wait a few months after the 2018 Australian Open for Grand Slam success, as she captured her first major title at the 2018 French Open, defeating America’s Sloane Stephens 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the final.
Halep would go on to win one more Grand Slam title: the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. The match was a remarkable affair, as the usually dominant Serena Williams was outclassed, losing 2-6 2-6 to her Romanian opponent.
