Amanda Anisimova was struggling to maintain her composure in the days leading up to the final grand slam tournament of the year. As the American braced herself for her first round match, her high expectations became a source of significant stress. In hindsight, this was nothing out of the ordinary. “I think most players are putting a lot of pressure on themselves and those few days before the tournament are pretty stressful, just the anticipation of it,” she said after reaching round three. “I feel it was natural for me to feel that way.”
However, the circumstances surrounding Anisimova on the eve of the US Open made her situation unique. The last time she appeared at a grand slam, Anisimova was beaten 6-0, 6-0 in the Wimbledon final by Iga Swiatek. Wimbledon had represented a long-awaited breakthrough after years of unfulfilled promise and under most circumstances it would have only signified a positive step forward in her career, but by the end of her excruciating day on Centre Court it was hard not to wonder if such a humiliating moment might completely derail her progress.
For that reason, Anisimova’s handling of those challenges has been nothing short of remarkable. At the next grand slam tournament, her earliest possible opportunity, the 24-year-old has given herself another shot at competing for a grand slam title again as she faces Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1 and defending champion, on home soil in the US Open final on Saturday.
Anisimova’s talent has never been in doubt. She is one of the cleanest, most destructive ball strikers on the tour, blessed with peerless timing and technique that allows her to take the ball so early, change directions at will and generate immense pace off both ground strokes, particularly her extraordinary two-handed backhand.
Those skills were evident in her last few matches, which have been an exhibition in devastating offensive shotmaking. In her win over Swiatek, she constantly robbed time from the Pole’s offensive weapons. Despite her early nerves a day later against Naomi Osaka, it was remarkable how she turned the match around, dominating another of the biggest hitters in the game from the baseline. Even as they neared 1am after nearly three hours on the court, her hands remained steady during the decisive moments at the end and she never stopped attacking.
It has taken some dramatic mental improvements for Anisimova to reach this point. Her eight-month mental health break in 2023 has clearly played a significant role in her growth, but in general she has always struggled to maintain her composure, nerve and self-belief in the heat of battle. While some players are born competitors, Anisimova’s path to gaining the self-assurance required to compete with the best players in the world has been long and arduous. She has spoken about embracing therapy, maintaining a positive outlook at all costs and confiding in her loved ones. While she has stressed the importance of moving on from Wimbledon, she did not run away from it. Sometimes, humour helps. The night before her win over Swiatek, she decided to watch highlights of the Wimbledon defeat for the first time to ensure that she did not make the same mistakes twice. What did she learn? “That I was slow as hell,” she said, laughing.
Although Anisimova has already defeated two of the most accomplished players in the game, the path does not get any easier. At the start of a breathless women’s semi-final day, Sabalenka closed out Jessica Pegula in another high-quality match. The American played about as well as she possibly could at times but Sabalenka was courageous in all of the decisive moments, where she completely overpowered Pegula.
In the process, the Belarusian has maintained her sublime grand slam record. A three-time major champion, she has now reached the last six hard-court grand slam finals and four of the last five major finals overall. In those finals, however, she has repeatedly crumbled under pressure, becoming overwhelmed by panic and fear. There will be even more pressure on her shoulders on Saturday, a match that represents her last chance to ensure that her considerable efforts actually amount to a grand slam win this year.
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Quick GuideRaducanu opts out of Billie Jean Cup for WTA event
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Emma Raducanu has pulled out of Great Britain’s team for this month’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals in order to play in a WTA tournament. The 22-year-old was set to lead Britain’s line-up in Shenzhen in a couple of weeks’ time but has instead decided to play in the Korea Open the same week, for which she has been offered a wild card.
Raducanu’s decision is a major blow to Britain’s hopes of progress, with Anne Keothavong’s team set to face Japan in the quarter-finals on 18 September.
Raducanu has spoken of how much she enjoys playing in the team competition and she has an excellent record having won her last five singles matches, including three at last year’s Finals, where Britain reached the semi-finals.
However, she opted not to play in the group stage in April, choosing to do a training block instead, and this decision is likely to go down like a lead balloon.
The PA news agency understands that Raducanu and her team believe she needs to prioritise playing WTA events and spending time on the road with new coach Francisco Roig after a positive start to their partnership. PA Media
There are some players who just seem to be magnetically attracted to each other in tournament draws. This will mark a 10th meeting between Sabalenka and Anisimova, and this has actually been a favourable match-up for the American, who holds a 6-3 head-to-head record. The last time they played each other, less than two months ago, Anisimova pulled off the biggest win of her career at the time in the semi-finals of Wimbledon. This time, the stakes are even higher for both players as they each try to banish their recent demons for ever.
