American tennis star Amanda Anisimova has hit back at online speculation regarding her recent weight loss, firmly denying allegations that she used diabetes medications such as Ozempic to alter her physique. The world No. 11 addressed the rumors directly via social media after followers flooded her recent posts with unverified claims about her physical appearance.
According to a report published by the Daily Mail on February 25, Anisimova posted a series of selfies and photographs highlighting her changing physique on Instagram, which subsequently triggered a wave of unwarranted commentary from online users. Rather than ignoring the chatter, the athlete published an Instagram Story to set the record straight.
Confronting the Daily Toll of Cyberbullying
“To all the health experts and professional body-shaming critics in the comment sections: I am not using Ozempic,” Anisimova wrote in the now-deleted post, as detailed by the Daily Mail. “Please leave me alone and keep me out of your ridiculous posts. I am constantly cyberbullied. Everything has a comment, and my body is always talked about. Every single day.”
This is not the first time the professional tennis player has faced intense and unprompted scrutiny over her body from social media users. Her career has frequently intersected with toxic online commentary regarding her physical build rather than her athletic achievements on the court.
A History of Public Scrutiny
In a previous instance highlighted by the Daily Star, a social media user left an aggressive comment on one of Anisimova’s Instagram posts, writing, “The most un-athletic body. Narrow shoulders and big breasts do not fit an athlete’s body.” Anisimova challenged that public criticism directly at the time, expressing bewilderment at the constant obsession strangers maintain regarding her physical proportions.
“You have no idea how many people comment on my body on social media every day,” Anisimova remarked during that previous ordeal. “I will never understand why they are so obsessed with it.”
Stepping Away From High-Pressure Environments
The relentless online scrutiny previously prompted the American player to take a deliberate step back from professional tennis. During that hiatus, she explained that she needed to extract herself from a high-pressure environment where the constant repetition of daily stress and public commentary took a severe toll on her well-being.
“It was just about removing myself from that environment for a bit,” Anisimova said of her temporary break from the sport. “It was stressful. Almost the exact same routine every single day.”
Maintaining Elite Performance Amid Distractions
While past public remarks targeted her natural physical characteristics, the latest wave of online commentary has shifted toward baseless accusations regarding weight-loss drugs. Despite the continuous distractions posed by cyberbullying, Anisimova has maintained a high level of competitive performance on the international tennis circuit.
Her tennis resume includes a breakthrough run to the semifinals of the French Open in 2019 as a teenager, alongside an appearance in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. More recently, she reached the finals at both Wimbledon and the US Open. Her strong performances propelled her to a career-high singles ranking of world No. 3 earlier this year, before settling at her current position at No. 11.
Keep reading
