Amanda Anisimova is back on the WTA Tour following a wrist injury, with Roland Garros now demanding her full attention.
And she has made a strong start to the clay-court Grand Slam, comfortably defeating Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah in round one.
Anisimova triumphed 6-3, 6-1 in their Roland Garros clash, setting up a second round meeting with Julia Grabher.
In between those tests in Paris, the world number six has taken time to explain a very welcome change on the WTA Tour.
Who is your favorite player on the WTA Tour right now?
Amanda Anisimova loves the friendships on the WTA Tour
Anisimova said after her opening win at Roland Garros: “I’d say it is very Gen Z of us. I feel like we don’t take things too seriously.
“I really like the shift that I have seen. I have been on tour for a really long time and when I first came on it was very different, the atmosphere and the energy, it was not as warm or as social.
“I have seen a lot of changes and how there is groups of friends. There is more social girls like Iva [Jovic], she is so nice and great to have around.
“I absolutely love the fact that we are able to be friendly and to even hang out off of the court and then at the same time if we have to compete against each other we are able to compartmentalise it.
“It’s not the end of the world, obviously we go out there and try our best and we obviously respect one another, so I feel like it’s going in the right direction and I’m really happy about it.”
Who is your dark horse for the Roland Garros title this year?
Amanda Anisimova among impressive American WTA group
There is clearly a close connection between many WTA players right now, with the same able to be said of many on the ATP Tour.
But they are, of course, able to put those friendships to one side when they finally go head-to-head on the court, which is hugely important for success.
And in terms of Americans on the WTA Tour, the current situation has helped produce a very competitive battle to be the nation’s leading player.
Coco Gauff is currently leading that race in terms of the rankings, but she is joined in the WTA top 10 by Jessica Pegula and Anisimova.
Meanwhile, Jovic, Madison Keys and Emma Navarro are all top 25 players right now, with Hailey Baptiste and Ann Li within the top 30.
| Rank | Player |
| 4 | Coco Gauff |
| 5 | Jessica Pegula |
| 6 | Amanda Anisimova |
| 17 | Iva Jovic |
| 19 | Madison Keys |
| 25 | Emma Navarro |
| 26 | Hailey Baptiste |
| 29 | Ann Li |
| 48 | Mccartney Kessler |
| 63 | Caty Mcnally |
The friendly but competitive battle has undoubtedly played a key role in many success stories for American WTA players, most significantly in 2025.
Keys won the Australian Open and Gauff won Roland Garros, with Anisimova then reaching the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open.
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