Amanda Anisimova final press conference: Everything American said after US Open loss, from addressing 'extremely frustrating' issue to voicing dismay

Amanda Anisimova had to settle for second-best in a Major final once more as reigning World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka successfully defended her US Open title. Anisimova, despite producing a late surge backed by the New York crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, lost the women's singles final at the hardcourt Major 3-6, 6-7(3). Later, the American reflected on her defeat at a post-match press conference.

The women's singles final at this year's Wimbledon Championships marked Anisimova's maiden outing in a Slam final. However, it was a chastening experience for the 24-year-old, as she was dealt a 6-0, 6-0 hammering by Iga Swiatek. While Anisimova's performance in the final at Flushing Meadows was significantly better, the American herself admitted at the press conference that she didn't do enough to trouble Sabalenka, saying:

"I just felt throughout the match I wasn't playing my best tennis. With finals I have a lot of nerves and it's something I'm trying to work on, but I wish I played more aggressive and of course she (Sabalenka) was playing amazing. She was playing very aggressive and doing all the right things so she made it very difficult for me. I didn't win today. Of course, I didn't do enough. That's just the reality and I have to accept that."

The WTA No. 9, who is set to break into the top four courtesy her runner-up finish in New York, also spoke up about her struggles on serve during the match, which she attributed to the bright lights on the closed roof of the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Amanda Anisimova produced seven double faults and 29 unforced errors overall throughout the contest. The American added:

"Well, I haven't played on the court during the day with the roof closed and it was literally white, and I couldn't see the ball when I was serving. The whole match, starting from the warm-up, I was like, 'this is really going to be a problem for me'. And I didn't know what to do, and that was a huge shock to my system because I knew if I can't hold my serve, it was going to be very tough to stay in the match."

"I truly, really admire Aryna Sabalenka" - Amanda Anisimova after US Open 2025 final loss to Belarusian

Amanda Anisimova (left) and Aryna Sabalenka (right) pose with their women's singles runner-up and winner's trophies respectively at the 2025 US Open (Source: Getty)

In the same press conference, Amanda Anisimova went on to talk about her admiration for Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian's latest title triumph in New York has made her a four-time singles Major champion. It has also helped her consolidate her position as the World No. 1.

"That's the reason why she's No. 1, and that's why I said that in my speech, like, I truly, really admire her, and she puts in a lot of work. That's why she is where she is. And yeah, we've had a lot of tough matches. I wish today it would have gone a bit deeper but that's the way it is," Amanda Anisimova said.

When asked about her thoughts on her prospects of qualifying for the prestigious year-end WTA Finals, Anisimova disclosed how she and her agent joked at the beginning of the 2025 tennis season about the American potentially securing a spot for herself at the tournament. However, the 24-year-old refused to talk too much about it, citing the "hard loss" she suffered in the US Open final.

"It was a goal of mine at the start of the year. Me and my agent were joking that that would be a goal of mine and it was kind of far in the reach when I was starting off the year, but now I have a chance to qualify and play in it so, that's really special, but it's really hard to look at the fall and think about that right now because today was a pretty hard loss to take."

As things stand, only Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek's places at the year-end event are confirmed, with Amanda Anisimova finding herself in sixth spot in the 'Race to the WTA Finals'.