Amanda Anisimova is one of America’s brightest young tennis stars. Born on August 31, 2001, in Freehold Township, New Jersey, she rose quickly through the junior ranks to become a Grand Slam finalist at Wimbledon in 2025.
She is set to face the World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final on Saturday, marking her second successive title clash appearance at a Major. Behind her rise is a family story that began in Russia. Let’s take a look at Anisimova’s family roots and early career before her rise to stardom.
Amanda Anisimova’s Early Life and Family Background
Anisimova’s parents, Olga and Konstantin Anisimova, left Russia in 1998. At the time, they were living in Moscow and working in banking and finance. They first visited the United States after their relatives invited them, and they liked it so much that they decided to move there for better opportunities.
Their older daughter, Maria, who already playing tennis in Moscow, was 10 when the family arrived in the United States. After moving to Florida when Amanda was three, Maria joined the University of Pennsylvania’s tennis team. Watching her sister play sparked Amanda’s own interest in the sport. By age two, she was holding a small racket and mimicking Maria’s moves.
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The family settled in Florida so both girls could train. To fit her tennis schedule, Anisimova was homeschooled and her father served as her first coach on local courts. She started formal tennis lessons at the IMG Academy around the age of five. By 2016, at just 14 years old, she earned a wildcard into the US Open qualifying rounds. Anisimova won her first professional match soon after, beating Verónica Cepede Royg.
Her junior career was marked by big wins, including the 2017 US Open girls’ singles title, where she thrashed Coco Gauff 6-0, 6-2 in the final. She reached world No. 2 in the junior rankings soon after.
Though neither of Anisimova’s parents played tennis as children, they embraced the sport through their daughters and even helped run a small tennis camp so their younger daughter could have friends her age.
2019 was a year that saw some good performances from the American, most notably, her semifinal appearance at the French Open. However, later that year, tragedy struck, as Anisimova’s father died just before the US Open. The current World No. 9 has said that losing him was the hardest moment of her life.
Anisimova is enjoying a dominant and impressive season in 2025, with one WTA 1000 title at Qatar. She turned heads in July after beating Sabalenka in the Wimbledon semifinals to reach her maiden Grand Slam final. Though the American lost 0-6, 0-6 against Iga Świątek in the final, she garnered praise and acknowledgment from the entire tennis world.
Amanda Anisimova becomes the youngest woman to reach the Wimbledon final & the US Open final in the same season since Serena and Venus Williams in 2002.
24 years old.
Unbelievable talent, doing unbelievable things.
🇺🇸❤️ pic.twitter.com/cfQoJAvcp7
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 5, 2025
The 24-year-old became the youngest woman to reach the Wimbledon final and the US Open final in the same season since Serena and Venus Williams in 2002. She bested Naomi Osaka in the semifinals, despite being a set down in the beginning.
Anisimova is just one step away from her first major title, but the defending champion and World No. 1 Sabalenka lies in her way.
