Former Australian Open Semi-Finalist Reveals what Amanda Anisimova Needs to Improve on to Win a Grand Slam

Amanda Anisimova will open her 2026 campaign at the Brisbane International in Australia.

Former Australian Open Semi-Finalist Reveals what Amanda Anisimova Needs to Improve on to Win a Grand Slam

Amanda Anisimova (Image via X/Wimbledon)

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Amanda Anisimova came closer to winning a Grand Slam than ever before in 2025. The American star reached the final of the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open this year for the first time in her career. Former World No.18 Alexandra Stevenson shares what Anisimova needs to improve on to win a major title.

Anisimova reached the French Open semi-finals in 2019 as a teenager, but she had been unable to match that until 2025 after facing various struggles. In 2023, she spent eight months away from tennis to work on her mind. She returned to tour last year, with her best run, reaching the final of the 2024 Canadian Open.

But things changed this year when she reached the final of the Qatar Open in February, facing Jelena Ostapenko. She defeated Ostapenko in straight sets and got to another final at the Queen’s Club Championships. At the Wimbledon Championships, she reached the final of the tournament.

But she lost the title to Iga Swiatek in straight sets. She earned her revenge against Swiatek at the US Open, beating the six-time Grand Slam champion in the quarter-finals. She reached the finals of the New York Grand Slam but fell to Aryna Sabalenka, who claimed her only major title of the season despite reaching three finals.

Anisimova claimed her second title at the China Open before ending the season at the WTA Finals. During a conversation on The Inside-in Tennis podcast, Stevenson claimed that Anisimova’s serve and defense attributes need improving for her to become a Grand Slam champion:

It’s just poetry in motion, because you watch how she hits the ball and it’s like everybody should look at that on the backhand side. Now, the serve she could use a couple of adjustments. I feel like because the women’s game, the serve is not a high priority and there’s a lot of issues within the top 10 in serving, that’s why [Elena] Rybakina won the year-end [WTA] Finals indoors. But, Amanda I feel like can beef up her serve, defence, and that will get her to win a Grand Slam.

Anisimova finished the year in the top 5 of the WTA rankings for the first time in her career. She reached the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Riyadh after beating Swiatek and Madison Keys in the round robin stage. She faced Sabalenka in the last four, losing to the World No.1 in a thrilling three-set match.

Amanda Anisimova and Aryna Sabalenka claim WTA Tour awards for the 2025 season

Amanda Anisimova was among the players to win WTA awards for the 2025 season, but it was Aryna Sabalenka who shone the most. Sabalenka won her second consecutive WTA Tour Player of the Year award on Monday (December 15) after getting nearly 80% of the vote from a media panel after winning the US Open.

Aryna Sabalenka, Amanda Anisimova
Aryna Sabalenka, Amanda Anisimova (Image via X/News Aryna Sabalenka, Ken McKinnon)

She reached the final of the Australian Open and French Open, while also finishing the season as World No.1. The Belarusian star joined Serena Williams and Iga as back-to-back winners of the honor over the past 25 years. The 27-year-old led women’s tennis in match wins with a 63-12 record and four titles in 2025, while also setting a tour record by earning $15 million in prize money.

Also, she spent the entirety of the year at World No.1. At the Majors, Sabalenka lost to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final in January and to Coco Gauff at the French Open in June. She made it to the semi-finals of Wimbledon before claiming the final Grand Slam of the year at the US Open.

Meanwhile, Anisimova was selected as the Most Improved Player after making it to her first two Grand Slam finals at the All England Club and Flushing Meadows. She also reached three finals, including the Doha Open and China Open.

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