Wimbledon: Anisimova – Swiatek: The final we didn't expect... the program for Saturday, July 12

There will be a new crowned head in London this Saturday. For four-time Roland-Garros winner Iga Swiatek (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), the grass is no longer cursed. The Pole outclassed surprise Belinda Bencic on Thursday (6-2, 6-0). " Tennis continues to surprise me ," she smiled. Having fallen back to ^4th place, the former world number one is regaining confidence on the surface where she had achieved her worst results so far... The 24-year-old champion, who played and lost her first final on grass in June in Bad Homburg, has not won a tournament since... Roland-Garros 2024. An eternity for a player of this caliber. At the beginning of the year, she explained that the month-long break imposed by world tennis authorities following a positive test for trimetazidine had undoubtedly slowed her momentum. Ancient history. On the courts of the All England Club, slower than usual this year and where the ball bounces higher, almost like on clay, she only lost one set, in the second round against American Catherine McNally. " This year, I'm really enjoying playing on this surface and I hope it lasts as long as possible! I feel like I'm doing a good job, that I'm learning to better understand this surface. For the first time (in six appearances, editor's note), I feel more and more comfortable on it. The process we recently put in place with my coach suddenly seems more logical to me. There's no need to overthink this surface. You have to follow your instincts." It's fun in a way, and different from other surfaces where you have more time to build the rally. When you play well, it's easy to have fun ."

While Swiatek's star has been shining for several years, Anisimova 's almost faded. Early on, her star was her world number 2 junior, and the Floridian reached the semi-finals of Roland-Garros in 2019 at the age of 17, the year she won her first WTA tournament. But the sudden death of her father and coach, Konstantin, at the age of 56, radically changed the situation. Plunged into depression, the American decided to retire from the tour in May 2023. Returning to the tour in January 2024 after an eight-month hiatus " to recharge mentally ," where she took refuge in painting, she lost... in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying just a year ago. 2025 marks the return to action for the 13th seed, who notably won the WTA 1000 in Doha in February. The American blocked the path of world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday (6-4, 4-6, 6-4). " It shows that it is possible ," savored the Floridian . "It's a very special message that I was able to convey, because when I took my break, a lot of people told me that you never get back to the top if you move so far away from the tour. It was difficult to digest, because I wanted to come back and continue to accomplish a lot of things and one day win a Grand Slam. To succeed in proving that you can return to the highest level by thinking of yourself first, that's incredibly strong for me ." A dream now within reach. The favorite on paper, Iga Swiatek, who has never lost in five Grand Slam finals played, can join, on Saturday, the short list of players who have won a Major on each of the three surfaces.

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Women's final on Centre Court: From 5 p.m.: Iga Swiatek (Pol/8) - Amanda Anisimova (EU/13).