Amanda Anisimova is back to playing tennis this year and she's happy about it after taking some time off from the sport.
Anisimova took time off from tennis last year due to feeling burnt out from the chaotic schedule. It's not something that's common in the tennis world but we've seen a couple of players prioritizing their mental heatlh because ultiamtely that matters.
Athletes can't be playing and competing if they are not mentally in it and she simply needed some time off from the sport. Her last event before leaving the sport was the Madrid Open in April after which she took some time off to just enjoy normal life a little bit and recharge her batteries.
The goal was always to come back to the sport because she really enjoys tennis and wants to play it but there are also other things that are important. She talked a bit about that after her recent win at the Charleston Open explaining her though process which saw her pause her career for about 8 months.
"I think I just needed a break from tennis. It can be very taxing and I feet like I was pretty burnt out so yeah I just needed a break and to be able to come back and just to enjoy it more with a differnet perspective. t hink that was really important for me."
"Take some space and have a normal life and then come back to the chaotic life so yeah I'm just happy to be back and healthy. I think that is the most important thing."
As she noted getting back to the sport is really great for her, especially now that she's healthy. She had some problems after the Australian Open but is now back to full health so let's see how she handles this upcoming weeks as it's going to be quite busy quickly.