Amanda Anisimova's renaissance is set to continue following her return from an eight-month hiatus.
The highly talented American shocked the tennis world when she announced in May 2023 that she was taking an indefinite break from tennis. Anisimova cited concerns for her mental health and struggles with burnout as primary drivers behind that decision.
It came at a time when she suffered the worst losing sequence of her career. Anisimova's 2023 campaign ended with a 3-8 record, playing her last match of last season at the Madrid Open in late April.
During her time away from the tour, Anisimova launched a new project dedicated to protecting mental health and helping people who have been on a journey similar to her own. In September 2023, the first hint of Anisimova potentially rejoining the tour emerged.
She picked up a racket and began practicing, in an update she shared on her Instagram account. Anisimova eventually confirmed the reports of her involvement in the first week of the new season when she signed up to play at the ASB Classic in Auckland after accepting a wild card.
Anismova's first match was against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and she gave a good account of herself, winning 7-5, 6-4. She lost to Marie Bouzkova in the subsequent round. But it was at the Australian Open that she got into a competitive groove.
The 22-year-old wasted little time scoring the tournament's first upset by eliminating 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova. Anisimova won two more rounds to reach the second week against all the odds before her adventure was curtailed by defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
It was an encouraging first step on her return, and she is determined to return to the world's Top 30. Anisimova halved her WTA ranking, which plummeted to outside the Top 400 for missing eight months of action.
To continue her recent good form, the American will play at the inaugural Vallarta Open, which is a WTA 125K level tournament to be held in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, from February 19th to 25th.
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