The 2025 Wimbledon women’s final will be remembered for quite some time, but not as a classic.
In less than an hour, Iga Swiatek defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0, to clinch her first Wimbledon title.
The American couldn’t find her footing on Centre Court as she found herself on the receiving end of one of the most one-sided beatdowns in Wimbledon history.
Grand Slam final debutant Anisimova’s nerves were evident, as she struggled from the very first game, while her more experienced opponent flourished throughout.
Watching Anisimova crumble in the biggest match of her career, former British tennis star Laura Robson suggested a Wimbledon final rule change that could have helped her.
Laura Robson was ‘desperate’ for the 2025 Wimbledon women’s final to be best-of-five sets
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Robson shared a potential format change which she believes would prevent players from dominating finals.
“This is when you are desperate for the women’s final to be a best-of-five,” she said.
“You can see the nerves and the tension from [Amanda] Anisimova, and if she just had that much more time to know that she could play her way into the match, it would feel so different to her.
“Down 5-0, she is almost feeling like the match is not over, but she’s not too far away from the finish line, and it’s all going too fast.
“But if you know I can knuckle down and there are at least another two sets that my opponent has to win, then it can settle you down massively.”
Robson recalled several women’s Wimbledon finals where this has happened, as she gave her verdict on the men playing best-of-five.
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Score | Games won by Runner-Up |
| 2010 | Serena Williams | Vera Zvonoreva | 6-3, 6-2 | 5 |
| 2013 | Marion Bartoli | Sabine Lisicki | 6-1, 6-4 | 5 |
| 2014 | Petra Kvitova | Eugenie Bouchard | 6-3, 6-0 | 3 |
| 2017 | Garbine Muguruza | Venus Williams | 7-5, 6-0 | 5 |
| 2019 | Simona Halep | Serena Williams | 6-2, 6-2 | 4 |
| 2025 | Iga Swiatek | Amanda Anisimova | 6-0, 6-0 | 0 |
“But there have been quite a few finals that we have seen at Wimbledon where you think it’s the biggest stage in tennis, there is so much of an occasion behind it, there’s so much pressure, and this is what happens when people get incredibly nervous,” she said.
“The difference is that the guys have so much time to play into it. I just think you look at Carlos Alcaraz a few years ago, in the first set he was so nervous he could not play, but he found a way because he had the time.”
Playing his first Wimbledon final in 2023, Alcaraz dropped the first set to Novak Djokovic 1-6, but eventually came through to win a five-set thriller.
Who knows if Anisimova could have mounted a similar comeback if women’s matches were best-of-five sets, but it certainly would’ve been interesting to see.
However, whilst Robson supports the move to best-of-five matches for women, her fellow Brit disagrees, as she highlights the problems with the longer format.
Annabel Croft isn’t keen on women playing best-of-five matches, ‘there are enough injuries as it is’
Also speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, after the match, Annabel Croft was asked whether she thinks the women should play the extended format.
“I guess it’s a point, isn’t it. I had a discussion with somebody yesterday, and they were saying, Do I want to see best of five sets?” she said.
“I said, ‘No, I didn’t’.”
Croft proceeded to explain why she doesn’t want women playing five-setters on the WTA Tour.
“There were many matches even at Queen’s Club when we were watching, and some of the women’s matches, best of three, were going three hours on the grass, the men a little bit quicker because of their big serves and power going through the court, the matches were a little bit more efficient,” she said.
“But if you’re three hours for three sets, can you imagine five…”
The 59-year-old believes the longer matches aren’t good for the human body, as she reiterated her disapproval of the idea.
“I don’t think it’s good for their bodies. If they need to sustain themselves on the tour, I don’t think the body can keep hammering itself with the amount of injuries that players are sustaining these days,” said Croft.
“So I don’t think I am that keen on best-of-five sets for the women, I think there are enough injuries as it is anyway.”
The likelihood is that best-of-three matches are here to stay, but it’s certainly interesting to hear the pros and cons of a format change.
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