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American tennis player Amanda Anisimova over beer background
There aren’t many sports where you’re going to gain an advantage by helping yourself to some beer while you’re playing. It did look like Amanda Anisimova opted to go that route during a tennis match at the Cincinnati Open, as one commentator speculated she’d made a very bold decision before a more innocent explanation was uncovered.
Every major athletic organization has rules in place that prevent competitors from turning to performance-enhancing drugs and other substances with the potential to give them an unfair edge.
Most leagues do not feel the need to have alcohol on the list of banned substances due to the fact that it tends to put you at a disadvantage in sports where quick reaction times and hand-eye coordination play a key role.
The World Anti-Doping Agency did prohibit its consumption in four arenas (archery, air sports, automobile, and powerboating) before lifting those rules in 2018, but it did allow individual governing bodies to stick with their own policies.
The word “alcohol” is nowhere to be found in the handbook that women’s tennis players competing in WTA events are currently required to abide by, and while it looked like one of them decided to take advantage of that loophole at the Cincinnati Open, that was not actually the case.
Amanda Anisimova drank a Red Bull, not a beer, during a match at the Cincinnati Open
On Monday night, Amanda Anisimova and Alex Eala faced off to earn the right to advance to the round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open. The latter took the first set 6-4, but her American opponent rallied to take the next one by the same score before closing things out with a 6-2 showing.
We were treated to an interesting development in the final set, as cameras captured Anisimova removing a plastic cup filled with a foamy yellow beverage from underneath a towel and taking a sip of what one Tennis Channel commentator speculated was “apple cider” as another noted it sure looked like a beer.
Tennis Channel commentators debating what Anisimova is drinking in the 3rd set against Alex Eala in Cincinnati
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/AsCxboIYLa
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 18, 2026
We were also treated to some fantastic comedic timing when the camera cut to Anisimova whiffing while trying to swat a ball before a serve, which only served to fuel the theory that she’d helped herself to some booze on the bench.
However, according to The Mirror, the broadcast eventually got to the bottom of the mystery after cutting to a shot of a can of Red Bull on the court next to where she was sitting, a beverage that made a bit more sense (Anisimova does have a sponsorship deal with LALO tequila, but all signs point to her abstaining from imbibing on the court).
The 24-year-old, who is currently the 10th-ranked player in women’s singles, will now face off against Linda Noskova on Wednesday with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line.