Anisimova spoke openly about her 2023 break from tennis both before and during her Wimbledon run.
With just two wins in the first four months of that year, the American left Madrid in late April and did not return to the WTA Tour until the following January.
Her mental health was suffering and it was time to “breathe and live a normal life for a bit”.
Having fun and making time for breaks is still vital to her now.
“I’m someone who struggles doing the same exact thing every day,” she said.
“I love just doing something different if I need to take a self-care day where there’s no tennis.
“If I need a lighter day for my mental recovery then I’ll take it, because for me it’s just as important as my physical health.”
Anisimova has one more year left of her business and psychology degree, which she studied in person for in Florida for a semester during her break.
She also threw herself into painting and sold some of her work for charity.
“I really want to get back into it,” she continued.
“It’s such a good mindfulness thing. That’s the reason why I started it – to be away from everything for three hours, get my hands dirty, not be able to look at my phone or pay attention to anything else.”
As the world number six and a two-time Grand Slam finalist, there may well be many major titles in Anisimova’s future – but not medical school, which was an ambition of hers when she first joined the professional ranks.
“Something I grew up wanting to do if tennis didn’t work out was to become a doctor, preferably a surgeon,” Anisimova said.
“It’s unfortunately not very realistic for me any more. Maybe fortunately because I love the career I have.
“Science and the medical field has always interested me, but right now I feel like I’ve stressed myself out too much with tennis – I don’t think I could go through med school.”
While last year’s final may not be her favourite memory, Anisimova is hoping to use that experience for another successful run at Wimbledon.
“Wimbledon is Wimbledon. I’ll always love coming back,” she added.
“I have great memories from it, hoping to maybe rewrite the story in a more positive way and hopefully go all the way at some point in my career.”
