Amanda Anisimova’s rise into the upper tier of women’s tennis has been swift, but the rewards of that success now come with a visible emotional cost. After her run at the 2026 Australian Open ended in tears and frustration, Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, and WTA standout Danielle Collins offered pointed, experience-driven insight into what they believe Anisimova is wrestling with now.
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Over the past year, Anisimova transformed herself from a dangerous outsider into a fixture among the WTA elite. Her 2025 season included WTA 1000 titles in Doha and Beijing, runner-up finishes at Wimbledon and the US Open, and a career-best ranking of World No. 4 by September. She won 47 matches, lost only 18, and recorded multiple victories over top-10 opponents.
Financially and professionally, the results translated into more than $7 million in prize money and a debut at the WTA Finals, where she reached the semifinals. By the time she arrived in Melbourne, Anisimova was no longer chasing respect. She was expected to contend.
She backed up that status early in Melbourne, reaching her first quarterfinal at the tournament without dropping a set. But her straight-sets loss to compatriot Jessica Pegula, marked by 44 unforced errors and a visible emotional breakdown in the second-set tiebreak, became the flashpoint for a deeper conversation about pressure at the top of the game.
That context framed Gilbert’s comments on Tennis Channel’s Big T podcast. Gilbert explained that the warning signs were subtle but telling. “The first time I noticed this from Anisimova was, last year she was under the radar and had two great runs,” he said.
From his perspective, the Australian Open revealed a clear shift. “What I noticed from this Australian Open is her getting really annoyed at the box, and now the pressure is different. She’s not under the radar anymore.”
Gilbert stressed that this change in status alters everything about the experience. “So it’s a whole different experience from where she’s at,” he said, drawing a comparison to Emma Navarro. “Because I felt like a couple of years ago it was the same thing with Navarro. She had a great year, and now all of a sudden the expectation is, can you win? It didn’t look like she was playing with that same freedom.”
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Collins did not disagree, and her response added emotional weight, drawing on her own career. “Yeah, I agree. I think Anisimova is in a totally different position this year versus last year.” She pointed directly to the scars left by near-misses on the sport’s biggest stages. “Last year she had a great year and made two Grand Slam finals, but I don’t think it’s easy to recover after losing two finals,” she said.
While acknowledging Anisimova’s resilience, Collins added, “Even though she was able to rebound after what happened at Wimbledon and had a great showing at the US Open, I do think it’s incredibly difficult to recover from losing in a Grand Slam.”
Speaking personally, she continued, “I know the feeling, and I know how hard that can be to sit with, especially when you have opportunities. For her now, it’s about not just matching the level she had last year, but taking that next step, and that’s a big step forward,” she said.
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Collins emphasized the competitive landscape Anisimova faces, noting, “A lot has to happen to do that, especially when you’re playing against people like Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula, with all these top-10 players right there as contenders for Grand Slams. It’s a huge amount of pressure to play with. I couldn’t agree more with you, Brad.”
Looking ahead, Anisimova is preparing to return to Doha to defend her crown at the Qatar Open. The WTA 1000 tournament is set to be held from Feb. 8 to 10, with matches played on the outdoor hard courts at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
