Amanda Anisimova faced a tough defeat to Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals after reaching back-to-back finals at Wimbledon and the US Open last year. But in Melbourne, she just couldn’t keep that momentum going, losing in straight sets. Her frustration on court caught the attention of many viewers, but now that the dust has settled, Anisimova is speaking up.

After the match, Amanda addressed her on-court outburst against Pegula in an Instagram story. ESPN cameras had caught the 24-year-old shouting at her coaches after falling behind 5-1 in the tiebreak — a tense moment that didn’t reflect well, especially since many of her struggles were self-inflicted. Speaking on the issue, she wrote:

“Still living and learning 📝the way I behaved on court today was not the way I want to be carrying myself when playing. after some reflecting|| understand it will difficult to reach my goals that way. My emotions got the best of me and maybe I need to get my pms under control (jk, not really)”

“I’m happy with my few weeks here and I’ll be back stronger next year 🙏🏻 Thanks for all the support as always, I wouldn’t keep going without it Congrats to Jess, she’s been in great form and good luck the rest of the way 💙💙💙 Thanks for all the support as always, I wouldn’t keep going without it 🤍”

While she lost a brutal battle to the sixth seed, her campaign had been nothing short of outstanding. She hadn’t dropped a set in her four matches against Simona Waltert, Kateřina Siniaková, Peyton Stearns, and Wang Xinyu.

Even more impressive, this was her first-ever quarterfinal at Melbourne Park. It seems the nerves finally caught up with her. While this wasn’t the outcome she’d hoped for, Amanda Anisimova kept her composure as she got off the court.

Compared to her fellow American, Coco Gauff, whose footage of smashing her racket went viral, Amanda noted to have learned something from it. Despite her meltdown during the match, she noted to being conscious of her actions afterwards.

Amanda Anisimova claims to have learned from Gauff

Anisimova’s campaign ended with a 6-2, 7(7)-6(1) defeat to Pegula, but the fourth seed stayed remarkably composed afterward. No outbursts, no theatrics, just a quiet walk off the court and maybe a few thoughts she kept to herself. At the post-match press conference, Anisimova admitted she was mindful of the ever-present cameras and the privacy concerns buzzing around the tournament.

“You kind of know after a few days or 4 or 5 days that obviously you see on the internet you walking around,” she said. “I knew that was there, so I just kept my head down and went to the locker room.”

That awareness isn’t unique to her. The issue of player privacy has taken center stage this Grand Slam, especially after World No.3 Coco Gauff’s video, showing her smashing her racquet behind the players’ walkway that spread like wildfire online.

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Gauff later explained she just needed a private moment away from her team and the cameras to vent after her tough quarterfinal loss to Elina Svitolina. Unfortunately, as she discovered, there’s rarely such a thing as “off-camera” at a major tournament these days. Amanda Anisimova voiced her support for Gauff, sympathizing with how that clip took on a life of its own.

“I think the fact that the video of Coco that was posted is tough because she didn’t have a say in that,” she said, echoing what many players have been quietly feeling.

Novak Djokovic and Jessica Pegula also spoke up, pointing out how few places behind the scenes are actually free of cameras. Many players have agreed that less there was privacy and more full-time surveillance behind the scenes as well. Although Amanda composed herself off the court, her on court reactions could not be controlled.

Still, it’s a tough result for Amanda Anisimova to take. She’s had a fantastic past year with two Grand Slam finals and WTA 1000 titles in Doha and Beijing. Can she turn that momentum into another big win? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!