The new season hasn’t even begun, but the women’s tour is already crackling with energy. Players are slipping back into their routine – morning hits, team huddles, and the first taste of the Australian summer. And just when the preseason chatter seemed to settle, Amanda Anisimova sent it surging again. Fresh off a sensational 2025, the world number 4 is gearing up for her next challenge, joining a powerhouse lineup that includes Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Madison Keys.

Coming off a resurgent and career-defining 2025 season, Anisimova has now confirmed her entry into the Brisbane International, becoming the fourth Top-10 WTA player to join the field. For fans who watched her rise over the past year, this is the perfect first chapter of what promises to be a blockbuster 2026. 

In 2025, Amanda Anisimova won two titles (Qatar Open and China Open), and she finished the season as the world number 4. But her standout performances were reaching the finals at both Wimbledon and the US Open. Now, determined to go one step better and seal her first major title at the AO, Anisimova will be keen to make a strong start in 2026, and it starts in Brisbane. What did she say about her participation at the Brisbane International?

“I love playing in Australia, and I’m really looking forward to starting my 2026 season in Brisbane. It’s the perfect setting for me to build some momentum ahead of the AO.”

She joins a star-studded cast already locked in for the warm-up event, and surely her biggest hurdle in this tournament will be Aryna Sabalenka once again. It’s a battle of the big guns. If we take a look back, these two have faced each other 11 times, and guess what? Amanda Anisimova had the last laugh on 6 occasions. However, in 2025, Anisimova managed to get the better of the Belarusian only once in their four meetings. In their latest faceoff at the SF of the WTA Finals, Sabalenka defeated her by 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. It took the world number one about 2 hours and 21 minutes to win the duel. After the match, Sabalenka didn’t hesitate to shower praise on Anisimova’s incredible resilience.

“That was a fight. She played incredible tennis. I have to say I felt that was incredible tennis from both players. In the second set, at some points, I was thinking there was nothing I could do. She was going for her shots, playing incredible tennis.”

Now, as Brisbane readies itself for another electric start to the season, fans are eager to see how these elite tennis players set the tone for 2026. Will Anisimova ride the wave of her breakthrough year? Will Sabalenka stamp her authority early?

Time will tell! But surely Amanda Anisimova will start the next season with a lot of confidence. How does she look at her 2025 season, though?

What are the major learnings for Amanda Anisimova from the 2025 season?

The 2025 campaign had been a winding road for Amanda Anisimova – a mix of revived confidence, rediscovered power, and the occasional stumble that reminded her of how unforgiving the tour could be. Yet through every twist, she found something she hadn’t always been able to hold onto: a clearer sense of who she was on court.

If two final appearances at the major events gave her confidence, her 0-6, 0-6 defeat to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon taught her lessons. After reaching the semifinals of the WTA Finals, Anisimova had a realization. “I feel like I belong at this point.”

She realized that talent could carry her only so far. The true turning point was understanding how she walked into each tournament. Was she chasing expectations? Or was she grounded enough to let the game flow? Coming to her learnings from 2025…

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“I would say the mindset that I go into tournaments and matches with. I think that’s been the most important thing for me this year. It helps, obviously, when I’m done with the tournament, being able to look back and tell myself I’ve done everything I can. And I’m proud of the way I competed and carried myself on the court. And that’s definitely something that I’ve tried to do all year round.”

She has now learned how to be herself in every kind of situation. A stronger mind. A clearer purpose. And a player who, heading into 2026, looks ready to turn those lessons into something bigger. How does the tennis world look at her incredible run in 2025, though?

Seeing her incredible comeback from her shocking defeat to Swiatek at the Wimbledon final, Madison Keys said that Amanda Anisimova did it with grace and also admitted that she was incredibly impressed by her performances after that. Coming to her massive jump in the rankings this year, Aussie doubles no. 1 Ellen Perez also shared her thoughts on the American.

“There’s a reason why she’s that ranking. I think she had a great year making back-to-back [Grand Slam] finals. It’s really cool to see how she bounced back from the [Wimbledon] finals loss she had against Iga [Swiatek], a convincing scoreline, but it shows you are human, you get nervous… after that, she was very fearless, and she didn’t let that bother her. She looks very composed and in a good place.”

Even American legend Andy Roddick claimed it was a “hell of a year” for Amanda Anisimova. But do you think she can carry forward this moment in 2026 and take her revenge against Aryna Sabalenka (for the WTA Finals defeat) if they meet each other in Brisbane?