The biggest WTA event of the year is here, and the hype is skyrocketing. With the top 8 battling it out among each other, the battle for supremacy has taken a heated turn. Take Aryna Sabalenka, for example. While she has already tasted Grand Slam victory, she is yet to win a WTA final. For Iga Swiatek, it’s a question of proving herself as the best once again, while Coco Gauff looks to defend her title for the first time since Serena Williams in 2014.  However, amidst all the storylines, Amanda Anisimova has spotted a distinct feature of this year’s event.

Among the eight players scheduled to compete in the singles tournament, four of them are from the United States. It’s the first time in over a decade that American women have had such a big presence at the year-end finals. The last time four made it through was back in 2002 when the event was known as the WTA Tour Championships, with Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati, and Monica Seles as the finalists.

This year, amongst the four, only Anisimova will be stepping onto the big stage for the first time, with Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, and defending champ Coco Gauff all veterans of the event. Reacting to the same, Anisimova could not hide her excitement. “That’s crazy that half of us are Americans. It’s super exciting for US tennis,” she said. “I mean, we’ve done really well this year. I’m just really proud of myself and the other girls. Yeah, hopefully we can keep going. Definitely makes us represent our country well. I think we’re doing a great job.”

And as for Anisimova, she’s been looking for her big break since getting double bagelled at Wimbledon by Iga Swiatek. Though she showed immense mental fortitude to dump Swiatek out of the US Open and reach the final just weeks later, Anisimova is one who’s been knocking on the door of greatness this season. Could Riyadh be it?

She clinched the title at the China Open a month back but lost out to Elena Rybakina in her first match at the WTA Finals. But if there’s anything about Anisimova, it’s that the 24-year-old’s grit and determination are unassailable. In fact, it even became a source of inspiration for her compatriot, Madison Keys.

Madison Keys praised Amanda Anisimova’s grace in the face of a shattering setback

In the meantime, another American has shared how she was left heartbroken by how the final moment of the 2025 Wimbledon turned out for Amanda Anisimova. While the women sat for the press conference before the WTA Finals, Madison Keys reflected on how she felt that Anisimova faced the defeat to Swiatek with a grace unmatched by many.

While Keys joined Anisimova in the same group for the Riyadh Finals, she expressed her heartfelt admiration for the 24-year-old. The composure that Anisimova displayed at Centre Court won the heart of her competitor. Keys stated, “I think the biggest thing I’ve been most impressed with this whole year of hers, her entire comeback, is the way that she handled the Wimbledon final. I thought she did it with such grace, she handled it so well.”

Swiatek won the match against Anisimova with a clean 6-0, 6-0 scorecard. While Anisimova saw her dreams shatter, she stood right there, dealing with the setback with poise and strength. Referring to that, Keys added, “I know being in that position, it’s such a heartbreaking situation. I thought the way she carried herself through it with such grace, I was incredibly impressed by.”

While every journey of rise is defined with the stories of successes, it is actually the failures that shape one to rise at the zenith. And that’s exactly what inspired Keys to watch Anisimova on the big stage this year.