Amanda Anisimova looked completely broken as she wept in her chair after a second successive Grand Slam final defeat.
This one was different, however. Iga Swiatek dismantled Anisimova without the loss of a single game in the Wimbledon final, but at the US Open, she did make a fist of things.
Aryna Sabalenka praised Anisimova after a straight-sets win that she took out 6-3, 7-6 to claim her first Grand Slam of 2025 following a number of near misses.
Anisimova has an admirer in Martina Navratilova after the win, and there is genuine optimism that she can now go on and lift a Grand Slam title at some point.
The 24-year-old American, Anisimova, sent Sabalenka congratulations after losing to her and perhaps now she can take some inspiration from the US Open champion.
Amanda Anisimova can learn from Aryna Sabalenka
Anisimova has been through a lot in her short career but it’s so important that she doesn’t lose heart after a second successive final defeat.
Anisimova was lauded for the way she battled her demons to shock Swiatek at the US Open, and for that semifinal win alone, she deserves a lot of praise.
Now, Anisimova only has to look at the player on the other side of the net last night for some inspiration as to how to show immense bounce-backability and get that first major title.
In 2023, Sabalenka was distraught after losing to Coco Gauff. The Belarusian walked into the locker room on her own, took a racket out of her bag and smashed it several times against the floor.
Since doing that, Sabalenka hasn’t lost a match at Flushing Meadows and although nobody is saying that Anisimova should start smashing her rackets to smithereens, there is a message that optimism can be taken from adversity.
The new world number four has really kicked on in 2025, and it’s extremely exciting to see what she can achieve for the rest of the year and in 2026 when the Grand Slams get underway once again.
The best is yet to come for Anisimova
There is plenty of time for Anisimova to get herself in the winner’s circle when it comes to the major tournaments, and there is no real need to panic.
Sabalenka has lost in major finals across her career, and she has now managed to claim success on four occasions, winning two US Open crowns and two at the Australian Open.
Anisimova is now at number four in the rankings, which should give her easier runs to the latter stages of tournaments and not only that, but she has proved she can overcome the very best players this year.
Another defeat in a major final will naturally take some time to heal from, but a quick glance at the mentality of Sabalenka should help Anisimova go a long way in the future.
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