Amanda Anisimova forced to shutdown internet drama after online criticism emerges: "The internet is tough, and it comes with the job"

Amanda Anisimova is into a third consecutive quarter-final after taking down Xinyu Wang 7-6(4), 6-4. She is ready to continue her rivalry against Jessica Pegula in the next round, but her press conference was not totally fixated on tennis, with her having to clear up recent drama online.

The match just saw three breaks, and they came right at the start of the second set. It went in the favour of Anisimova, who was able to back up the first set tiebreak win by commandingly seeing the match out, reaching a first Australian Open last eight.

"Super excited to be into the quarterfinals here for the first time," she began. "It’s very special. I’ve just been enjoying it with each day that I’ve been here, and I’m really looking forward to the quarterfinal."

Three previous times Anisimova has made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open but failed to proceed. Now, she has finally done that as she continues her immense Grand Slam form. The last time she lost a major match which was not a final was in the 2025 French Open fourth round.

"I think the fact that I’ve been in the round of 16 three times here and making that step further is pretty special," she said "I love playing in Australia, so just being here an extra day and playing an extra match is exciting. I’ve honestly been enjoying every second out there. I feel like I’m handling the pressure and expectations — which I try not to think about — but I think that makes it mean a lot more to me that I’ve been able to handle that well this week."

A lot of that has been due to hard work and persistently pushing herself up the rankings, eventually being able to get over the line in big events. It was a huge shift last year when she became one of the best players in the world, but that has not seen her alter her routine in the off-season.

"I wouldn’t say anything is drastically different. But today I was really able to use my serve to my advantage," she opened up on. "Normally it’s kind of the opposite — my baseline game saves me and my serve can struggle sometimes. But today my serve really helped me, especially in key moments. I also think my mentality has improved a lot. The conditions were really tough — it was very hot again today — and being able to stay focused, stay positive, and give myself good body language was really helpful. I’ve been working a lot on that."

It is fair to say that Anisimova has not enjoyed playing against Jessica Pegula in the past. She has lost to her fellow countrywoman three times on the WTA Tour, with the biggest and most recent coming in the 2024 Canadian Open final.

Anisimova finally got a win against Pegula in an exhibition just days after losing to her once more. It is a match with a lot on stake, with Anisimova in desperate need to banish those prior matchups. "We’ve always had some great matches," she stated. "Funny enough, I played her twice in preseason exhibitions. She’s such a great player and I really like her game. I’m sure it’s going to be a tough battle again. We really go for our shots when we play each other, and we usually have really long rallies."

The reasons for this are not a mystery for Anisimova. "I know her game pretty well now. I’d say it’s just the fact that she gets a lot of balls back, and she can challenge any of the top players. She’s obviously at the top for a reason. But I always feel like I have a chance against anyone. It’s not really in my head. Every match is new and different. I think the fact that I’ve never beaten her before is an extra challenge for me."

It is not just Anisimova's tennis doing the talking but events away from the court. A journalist was repeatedly asking the American players political questions about the state of the country. Anisimova was obviously one of the targets, but she refused to give a solid answer. She would delete a post on X later, to which she now cleared up.

"The internet is tough, and it comes with the job. That’s something I’ve learned to get used to. There are definitely days when it bothers me a little bit, and I tell myself it’s okay to get upset or frustrated because, at the end of the day, I’m human. But it’s not worth so much of my energy and time, and that’s something I’ve learned to manage."

At the end of the day, it was just misinterpreted. "Yeah, because I didn’t even hit the ball — you couldn’t even see it in the clip. People are always saying something. People just love talking about stuff that’s not even about the tennis."

As the tournament progresses, there is no need for the 24-year-old to change up her routine before matches, sticking to what works and what she is used to. "I stick to the same routines. It’s pretty boring, honestly," she confirmed. "You don’t change something that’s working, right?"

A main focus of her recovery was sleep. "I definitely prioritise recovery more and getting my sleep. My bedtime has been getting earlier and earlier every night — you just get more tired deeper into the tournament. There’s nothing fun on the agenda. I wish we were going to the movies or something. I do have to fix my nail, though, and I’m trying to figure out when I’ll even have time to do that. That’s actually high on my priority list."

18-year-old Iva Jovic has been firmly involved in the headlines. She has blitzed her way through the tournament to put herself in the quarter-finals. World number one Aryna Sabalenka awaits, but whatever happens it has been a stunning couple of weeks for the teenager.

Anisimova was quick to laud the American. "Iva’s been doing really, really well. She’s an incredibly stable player and has been really impressive to watch," she complimented. "Her consistency really stands out to me — that’s something where I’m like, “Wow, maybe that’s something I should be working on even more.” You can really see the focus in her eyes when she’s playing. She’s been very impressive, and I’m really looking forward to watching more of her matches."