Amanda Anisimova shares how much she changed in 2025 after reaching two major finals

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Amanda Anisimova enjoyed the best year of her professional career in 2025.

After suffering an early exit at the Australian Open, losing to Emma Raducanu, Anisimova soon kicked into gear.

At the Qatar Open, Anisimova defeated Jelena Ostapenko to win her first WTA 1000 title.

She then found another level at the Grand Slam tournaments, as Anisimova qualified for the Wimbledon and US Open finals.

Carrying that momentum forward, Anisimova won the China Open in October.

Who was the most improved player on the WTA Tour in 2025?

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The American star jumped 32 places in the world rankings last season, establishing herself as one of the best players on the WTA Tour.

As she prepares to return to tennis in Brisbane, Anisimova has revealed whether she has changed over the past 12 months.

Amanda Anisimova says she’s in a ‘really good place mentally’ compared to last year

During her pre-tournament press conference at the Brisbane International, Anisimova was asked how last year changed her.

“I mean, I don’t know how it’s changed me, but I feel like I have gotten to experience so many different things,” she said.

“I think the most important thing was that I had a lot of fun on and off of the court, despite results.

“I have a great team with me, and just my family and friends. They were supporting me throughout the whole year, and I think that was the most important thing. And then just being able to excel in my career and have the achievements that I did were that extra cherry on top for me.”

Anisimova is looking to enjoy another strong year on tour in 2026.

“I think that’s the most special part about last year and going into this year. Yeah, super excited to build off of that, and I feel like I’m in a really good place mentally, so I feel like that’s maybe the change from the previous year,” she said.

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“Yeah, I feel like I’m growing into the person that I am, and that’s helped a lot.”

There’s plenty for Anisimova to look forward to in 2026, and she’ll start the year with a solid foundation to build on.

WTA Top 10

Ranked fourth in the world, Anisimova will undoubtedly have her eye on Coco Gauff and the American number-one ranking before too long.

She could even take the world number three spot from Gauff before the Australian Open gets underway.

With 500 points up for grabs in Brisbane, Anisimova will want to kick off 2026 by winning her fifth career title…

Who will Amanda Anisimova play at the Brisbane International?

Entering the event as the number-two seed, Anisimova has received a bye into the second round.

She’ll play either Kimberly Birrell or Rebecca Sramkova in her first match of 2026, but will likely have a tougher time of things should she advance to the third round.

Former world number one Karolina Pliskova, Hailey Baptiste, or 16th seed Marta Kostyuk await her.

Anisimova could then play Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals and Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.

Then, in the final, Aryna Sabalenka could stand between Anisimova and the Brisbane International title.

Anisimova and Sabalenka’s rivalry is one of the most entertaining on tour, and they continued to excite fans around the world in 2025.

Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova’s H2H record

Anisimova leads Sabalenka 6-5 in their head-to-head, a winning record she’ll be looking to maintain should they meet in the Brisbane final.

She won’t want to get ahead of herself, though, and will first focus on playing either Sramkova or Birrell on Tuesday, January 6.