Amanda Anisimova believes being surrounded by the right people is one of the most important things for a young player, as well as being strong enough to reject certain things because being forced into something can be "a big killer" and cause burnout.
Anisimova is one of the best examples of how one situation can change from bad to outstanding. The American, who was just 17 when she made the 2019 French Open semifinal, was tipped for major things at a very young age. But soon, her rise stopped - mainly because she had a hard time dealing with major pressure and expectations.
It boiled in the spring of 2023, when Anisimova announced through Instagram that she was pausing her tennis career to address her mental health - she ended up being out for eight months until the start of the 2024 season.
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Now, less than two years since returning to tennis, Anisimova is a two-time Grand Slam finalist - a two-time WTA 1000 champion - a first-time WTA Finals participant - and enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world.
Anisimova's advice to younger players on how to avoid burnout
And I would say that the younger girls on tour right now are doing a great job of balancing and managing that (pressure and expectations). I think the one thing that I would say thats important is the people you surround yourself with and the guidance and the advice," the 2025 Wimbledon and US Open runner-up told The Guardian.
I think its really important to let girls know, or boys, to make the right decisions for yourself and listen to yourself and not try and say yes to everything and feel like you have to do certain things. I think thats a big killer in certain ways, is just feeling like you have to do certain things and that can really lead to burnout. So thats definitely something that I would have done differently.
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In one of her interviews from this year, Anisimova underlined that she had no regrets about taking a break from tennis a few years ago simply because it helped her fix issues that were causing her trouble at the time.
