Amanda Anisimova‘s comeback story this season has been inspiring. The American clawed her way up from No.36 to World No.4 in just nine months, two years after she took her mental health break. Many thought that spelled the end, but her breakthrough this season with finals runs at Wimbledon and the US Open have proved doubters wrong. Though she didn’t clinch a major, her resilience was hard to miss. But how does she feel about the losses at these grand stages?

She recently spoke to The Guardian, opening up about her losses at the major tournaments, especially that 0-6, 0-6 defeat to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon in July. “Of course, it wasn’t easy,” Anisimova said, reflecting on her summer. “I had to really work on myself mentally and just put things in perspective and sit down with myself and think about how I’m going to bounce back or how I’m going to go into the next few tournaments, especially if I have to face her [Swiatek] again.”

It was a huge moment for the American, who came in as the 13th seed at Wimbledon. She fought past the World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semis, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, and earning a shot at Swiatek, who went on to lift her first Wimbledon title. But you couldn’t count Amanda Anisimova out just yet. She came roaring back at the US Open, exacting revenge over the Pole in straight sets (6-4, 6-3) after just over an hour and a half of play.

As she mentioned, “But I think everything kind of came naturally to me. I didn’t really overthink anything. Just kind of like it’s a new tournament, it’s a new day and a new match. That’s how I went about it, really.” Though she lost to Sabalenka in the final, Anisimova refused to slow down heading into the Asian swing.

In China, Amanda Anisimova captured the China Open title over 26th seed Linda Noskova. On her way, she took down second seed Coco Gauff in straight sets, sixth seed Jasmine Paolini, Karolina Muchova, Zhang Shuai, and Katie Boulter in her opener. Although she later withdrew from the Wuhan and Ningbo Opens because of a left calf injury, Amanda bounced back determined to finish strong.

Now, the American is competing at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, lining up alongside Aryna Sabalenka, defending champion Coco Gauff, and others. It’s her debut at the tournament, with a possible 1,500 points on the line for an undefeated campaign. A big moment for the 24-year-old, part of the new wave of Americans taking over the WTA Finals.

Amanda Anisimova expresses American tennis pride in Riyadh

Out of the eight singles players, four are Americans! It’s a rare sight in this prestigious year-end event, as this is the first time in more than a decade that US women have such a strong presence. The last time this happened was in 2002, when Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati, and Monica Seles all made it to the finals.

Among the four Americans this year, Anisimova is the only debutant. The rest: Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, and defending champion Coco Gauff, are seasoned veterans at the WTA Finals. She expressed 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.”

As part of the Stefanie Graf Group, Amanda Anisimova faced off against Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, in her opening round. Rybakina set the tone early, breaking Anisimova in the first game and cruising to a 6-3, 6-1 victory in just 57 minutes. Rybakina joined Swiatek with wins in the Serena Williams Group’s opening day.

But Anisimova’s journey isn’t over. She’ll face fellow American Madison Keys in the next round. Keys, a 2025 Australian Open champion, provides a tantalizing challenge. Will Anisimova prevail in this all-American clash and take a step closer to the semifinals in Riyadh? Fans will be watching closely, and your thoughts are welcome in the comments!