No pressure, just progress — Amanda Anisimova’s journey of growth at US Open

America’s Amanda Anisimova has stated that she was happy with her performance after cementing her spot in the third round of the US Open. The 23-year-old produced a thumping win over Australia’s Maya Joint in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2.

Speaking to the press after the match, Anisimova expressed satisfaction with her performance on the day. Anisimova also highlighted how her decision to stay aggressive from the baseline helped her produce impressive results in the first two matches.

“I'm happy with the way I played throughout,” said Anisimova. “Obviously the conditions were really tough. The first set with the wind and the rain, so yeah, I'm happy with the way I was able to stay stable throughout the match, and I feel like she's a really tricky opponent, so to just keep my composure and my game study was really important to it. I feel like that's always been my goal, is to be an aggressive baseliner and to take initiative of the points, so that's always what I try to do in the matches. Maybe in the beginning of the year, I think I was struggling a little bit with that, but as the year has progressed, I've tried to take more and more initiative of being aggressive and trying to step into the court, so for you to say that, it means that I'm progressing and doing what I'm supposed to do, so yeah, that makes me happy.”

It was Anisimova’s second straight-set win at the US Open this year. In the first-round encounter, she defeated another Australian player, Kimberly Birrell, in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-2. Those wins are extremely important for Anisimova, who is playing her first major competition after suffering a heartbreaking defeat in the final of Wimbledon against Iga Swiatek. After that match, Anisimova highlighted how she would like to improve her serve going forward.

Not putting any pressure or expectations on myself: Anisimova

The New Jersey-born was asked whether she is happy with her serve in the ongoing mega-event. In response to that, Anisimova stated that she is ‘really happy’ with her serve performance. “The serve is something that I was working on a lot at the start of the hard court season,” said Anisimova. “I feel like I'm not struggling with it as much anymore. We made a few adjustments, so I'm really happy with the way I was able to turn around my serve coming into here.”

After producing near-perfect performances in the first two matches, Anisimova was asked where she would like to improve in the future. In response to that, Anisimova stated that she has not set any particular goals for herself, as it would only add pressure. Anisimova was of the opinion that she believes she plays her best tennis when she is ‘relaxed’.

“I'm really not putting any pressure or expectations on myself,” said Anisimova. I think I did a little bit in the first round and I told myself to lift that off. I feel like my game is there and my confidence is there, so all I really need to do is just go out there and honestly just tell myself to have fun and enjoy the moment because I feel like I've done all the work and there's nothing I should really be hyper-focusing on. I think when I'm relaxed, that's when I play my best tennis, so that's my goal.”

Anisimova also discussed how pre-tournament stress is something challenging for players to manage. “It's the first round of a Grand Slam, so I think most players are putting a lot of pressure on themselves and those few days before the tournament are pretty stressful and just the anticipation of it,” she said. “I think it was just natural for me to feel that way, but I told myself as the tournament progresses to just kind of let that go and just feel my way through.”

After winning her second-round match on Thursday, Anisimova, during the on-court interview, spoke about how she is not bothered about being placed in the top-10 in the WTA rankings. She was asked about the reason behind handling that pressure so well. In response to that, Anisimova stated that her focus is to ‘embrace’ such things.

“I feel like I appreciate it now,” said Anisimova. “I think early on I had dealt with those experiences and a lot of pressure and expectations at a young age, so I think I've already been through all of that. For me to be used to it now and I kind of embrace it and I try and be vocal about mental health and things that are important to me, so I feel like me being able to speak freely and also be at the top of the game is really special. I'm really happy that I'm able to really enjoy myself on and off the court now. I feel like I'm in a good place, so I feel like that really helps.”

Anisimova concluded the press conference by once again highlighting the significance of the US Open for her, which, according to her, is ‘super, super’ special. “For sure, it would be super, super special,” said Anisimova. “I mean, I saw someone said something about me having my first first-round win here since 2021, and I didn't even realize that. So I was like, OK, well, that's already progress. But yeah, I mean, it's a super special place and a super important tournament for me that I really enjoy playing at, so to have a deep run here would be really meaningful.”