Amanda Anisimova – from heartbreak to conquering tennis’ hard courts

As Amanda Anisimova looks ahead to the WTA Finals this weekend, she will be proud that her journey through mental health issues has culminated in a triumphant return to the top of the women’s game.

Her path in professional tennis weaves together a story of raw talent, devastating loss and thereafter a remarkable comeback following acknowledgement that she had lost her way.

Born on Aug 31, 2001, in Freehold Township, New Jersey to Russian immigrant parents Olga and Konstantin Anisimov, Anisimova was groomed for greatness from an early age. 

Her family relocated to Florida when she was three and, by age five, she was tagging along to her older sister Maria’s practices, eventually developing a passion for the sport that would define her life. 

Under her father’s guidance as both parent and coach, Anisimova burst onto the scene as a junior phenomenon, capturing the 2017 US Open girls’ singles title at just 16. 

At 17, she stunned the tennis world by reaching the semi-finals of the 2019 French Open, defeating then defending champion Simona Halep in the quarter-finals – the youngest woman to advance that far in a Grand Slam since 2006, according to the WTA website.

Her powerful groundstrokes, clean ball-striking and exceptional return game marked her as a future star, propelling her into the WTA top 50. She claimed her first title that same year in Bogota, becoming the youngest American to win that event since Serena Williams in 1999.

But, behind the early accolades lay the seeds of a deeper struggle, one that would lead to a courageous step away from the game to prioritise her mental health.

Just as her career soared, personal tragedy struck.

On Aug 19, 2019, just days before her 18th birthday and the start of the US Open, Konstantin Anisimov suffered a fatal heart attack at age 52. The sudden loss shattered the family and the impact of her father’s death was immediate and devastating. 

Anisimova withdrew from the 2019 US Open, overwhelmed by grief. In a 2020 interview with the New York Post, she described it as “the worst thing that ever happened to me”.

Tennis, once a source of solace, became a double-edged sword.

She soldiered on and continued playing. But the sadness lingered, alongside the relentless demands of the tour, constant travel and the pressure to perform as a prodigy labelled “the next big thing”.

By summer 2022, burnout set in. The mental toll mounted, exacerbated by the lingering shadow of her father’s absence.

“The lifestyle can get lonely at times,” she later reflected to Tennis World USA.

High expectations, social media scrutiny and the unprocessed trauma created a perfect storm, leading to what she called an “unbearable” dread of tournaments.

On May 5, 2023, after a first-round defeat in Madrid, Anisimova made the bold decision to step away indefinitely. In an Instagram post that resonated across the tennis community, she wrote: “I’ve really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022.

“It’s become unbearable being at tennis tournaments. At this point, my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for some time. I’ve worked as hard as I could to push through it.”

At 21 and ranked No. 46 in the world, she was at a crossroads. The choice to pause her career, inspired partly by peers like Naomi Osaka who had withdrawn from Slams for similar reasons, highlighted a growing awareness in sports of mental health’s role.

During her eight-month hiatus, Anisimova focused on healing away from baselines and scorelines.

She enrolled for a semester at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, studying business and psychology in person after years of remote learning – a deliberate shift to reclaim normalcy.

“I think gaining other aspects in life like connections, learning what I like and what I don’t like, what hobbies I like to do, and not just tennis day in and day out, it’s important for my happiness and mental clarity,” she later shared on the WTA website.

Road trips with friends, volunteer work and celebrating her birthday away from the tennis court and tournaments became small victories in rediscovering joy.

At the heart of her coping was art, a childhood interest revived as a therapeutic escape. In October 2022, Anisimova picked up painting to calm her racing thoughts.

Inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s style, she created vibrant works that captured her emotions – swirling colours representing turmoil and renewal. 

“I got into art when I was struggling with my mental health and it was something that I did in my free time just to get my mind off of things,” she said on the Olympics website post-Wimbledon 2025. 

She also launched a campaign Art for Hope – exhibiting pieces in a New York gallery and selling them to fund causes addressing mental health, hunger and child abuse. 

This was not mere distraction; it was purposeful, transforming personal pain into communal good. She also explored music – rapper Lil Wayne is a favourite – and simple joys like running, writing and beach outings. 

“Being in that high-stress environment is unlike anything else,” she noted, appreciating the “normal day-to-day life” she had missed. By late 2023, the “itch” to play returned.

Anisimova’s comeback began in January 2024 at the Auckland Classic, where she reached the second round.

Momentum built quickly – a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open, including wins over Liudmila Samsonova and Paula Badosa, signalled her baseline firepower was intact. 

In August, she surged to her first WTA 1000 final at the Canadian Open in Toronto, upsetting then No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka en route before falling to Jessica Pegula.

This propelled her from No. 132 back into the top 50, a leap of over 80 spots. 

The 2025 season elevated her to elite status. In February, she captured her first WTA 1000 title at the Qatar Open, ousting Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-3 in the final – her third career trophy and biggest yet. 

Doha marked her as a contender and she backed it up with a

second WTA 1000 crown in Beijing

.

Grand Slams followed – seeded 13th at Wimbledon, she stunned Sabalenka in the semi-finals to reach her maiden Slam final, only to lose 6-0, 6-0 to Iga Swiatek.

Undeterred by the double-bagel embarrassment, Anisimova rebounded at the US Open, avenging her Wimbledon loss with a quarter-final win over Swiatek and advancing to the final against Sabalenka – her second straight Slam showpiece.

She lost again, but this time she was closer, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3).

With 45 wins in 2025 (against 16 losses) and over US$6.2 million (S$8 million) in prize money, according to the latest information on the WTA website, she has rocketed to a career-high No. 4 ranking.

Now, she has set sights on winning the WTA Finals, with essentially nothing to lose.

At 24, Anisimova’s transformation is complete – from a grieving teenager finding escape to a top-five player advocating for balance.

“I never regretted taking that break. It gave me a whole new perspective,” she affirmed. 

Her path has shown that true champions rebuild from within, proving that mental fortitude can outlast any breaking point in life.