Amanda Anisimova said on Friday in Melbourne that she will treat high expectations as motivation at the 2025 Australian Open as she seeks to reach a third consecutive Grand Slam final after her breakthrough 2025 season elevated her to world number four.
The 23-year-old American earned the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Most Improved Player award last season after she climbed 32 places in the rankings and advanced to the championship matches at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Anisimova reached her first Wimbledon final in 2025, where top-ranked Iga Swiatek defeated her 6-0, 6-0 in the title match at the All England Club.
Anisimova later returned to a Grand Slam final at the 2025 US Open after she beat Swiatek, a six-time major champion, in the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows.
Anisimova said she used the Wimbledon defeat as a learning experience that helped her prepare for the hard-court major in New York and guided her approach to pressure situations.
Anisimova said she believes her recent results have changed how opponents and fans view her, and she added that she plans to channel that attention into her performance at Melbourne Park.
Tournament organizers confirmed Anisimova’s seeding inside the top four for the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on January 20, 2025.
Coaches and analysts around the tour noted that Anisimova’s improved serve and more aggressive baseline play contributed to her rise in the rankings during the 2025 season.
Anisimova said she and her coaching team focused on physical conditioning and mental resilience in the offseason to prepare for the demands of a deep run across seven matches at a Grand Slam.
The American said she set a target to reach at least the semifinals in every major in 2025 and identified the Australian Open as a key early test of her consistency.
Australian Open officials reported strong ticket demand for sessions that feature top women’s seeds, including matches that may involve Anisimova in the later rounds.
Anisimova said she expects tough opposition from fellow top-10 players and noted that Swiatek and other major champions will likely pose significant challenges in the second week of the tournament.
Officials from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) highlighted Anisimova’s progress as part of a broader resurgence in American women’s tennis at the Grand Slam level.
Anisimova said she plans to maintain the same pre-match routines that she followed at Wimbledon and the US Open, including specific practice blocks on serve, return, and first-strike patterns.
Analysts pointed out that Anisimova’s performance in the early rounds at Melbourne Park may indicate whether she can sustain the level that carried her to consecutive Grand Slam finals in 2025.
Anisimova said she will treat each match at the Australian Open as a separate challenge while keeping her long-term goal of a third straight Grand Slam final in mind.
