It was a hot and humid night at the Cincinnati Masters tennis tournament on Monday, so what better time to enjoy a nice, cool beer at the match?
Sure, that’s all well and fine if you’re a fan in the stands, but it certainly draws attention when you’re one of the players involved in a close contest.
During a break in play in her Round of 32 matchup against Alexandra Eala, Amanda Anisimova was spotted sitting down and having a drink out of a plastic cup.
What was Amanda Anisimova drinking?
Tennis fans and the commentators were left puzzled, though, as the drink certainly wasn’t water and didn’t appear to be a sports drink of any sort. In fact, it looked remarkably like beer.
After noticing the odd choice of drink, Brett Haber asked fellow broadcaster Lindsay Davenport if she knew what Anisimova’s beverage of choice was.
“Could be apple cider, Brett?” Davenport asked.
“I mean I would never suggest that a player was drinking a beer in the middle of a match but that’s certainly what it looked like,” Haber said.
“I’ve never seen that,” Davenport added.
“It could be non-alcoholic. It could be cider. It could be anything. We don’t know,” Haber said as the action on the court resumed.
According to WTA Tour rules, consuming alcohol during a match is strictly prohibited under player code-of-conduct and professionalism guidelines.
During the third set, Haber returned to the subject and put fans’ minds at ease, confirming that Anisimova had been drinking a Red Bull.
“We can confirm via one of our courtside camera operators that Anisimova asked for and was delivered a Red Bull. That is the mystery bevvie,” he said.
Did the drink help?
It appears that seeing the Red Bull poured into a clear plastic cup threw many for a loop, as most fans would have expected to see it consumed out of the brand’s trademark bull and silver cans.
However, due to WTA Tour advertising and branding rules, the cans aren’t allowed to be used.
With the temperatures hovering around 26C in Cincinnati on Monday night and the humidity at a staggering 91-94%, the drink might’ve been just what Anisimova needed.
After losing the first set to the Philippine sensation 6-4, the American won the second and third sets 6-4 and 6-2 to advance to the Round of 16.
Anisimova, who is ranked No. 10 in the world, will take on the eight-ranked Linda Noskova of Czechia on Wednesday.