2025 saw the rise of Amanda Anisimova. She had had inconsistent success for several years, but the 24-year-old appeared to finally find herself last year. Would her runs to the final at both Wimbledon and the US Open mean she was going to be a long-term threat on the WTA tour?
The truth is that tennis fans are still waiting on that answer, and that might not come soon after the American made two important decisions late last week. One was to let go of her coach, Rick Vleeshouwers, who began helping the player in 2024. His arrival soon led to Anisimova's longest run of high-end success, so one might wonder why the split occurred.
In an Instagram post, Anisimova said all the right things. She thanked Vleeshouwers for elevating her play and wished him the best. Maybe Anisimova felt as if she had plateaued with the coach, but if so, it was a quick plateau that resulted in the best tennis of her career.
Amanda Anisimova pushes restart on her 2026 tennis season (and it's only March)
Not surprisingly, Anisimova's next move was to withdraw from the Charleston Open, which runs from Monday, March 29, through Sunday, April 5. The American would have been the No. 2 seed behind Jessica Pegula, but some noticed Anisimova had a wrap on her wrist during the Miami Open.
The South Florida-based player only reached the fourth round at the Masters 1000, which matched her career-best. It wasn't as if whatever struggles she might have been having with the direction of her coaching meant a sudden dip in form at a tournament in which she previously did extremely well.
Not that Amanda Anisimova isn't struggling with being hurt, but the coincidence of her parting with her coach at the same time she withdraws from Charleston is strange. Perhaps, she thinks the injury will keep her out for a bit longer than just Charleston, and the parting with Vleeshouwers made sense because of that.
The current WTA No. 6 is next scheduled to play the Madrid Masters, which is held from April 20 to May 3. This means that Anisimova could have nearly a month off, though the break would help her find a new coach and rest whatever injury she has. Hopefully, once she returns, she can return to her form from last year.