Roger Federer's former coach Paul Annacone thinks Amanda Anisimova convinced with her performances this year, and he is tipping the 24-year-old to win a Grand Slam in 2026.
This past season, the American won her first two WTA 1000 titles in Doha and Beijing, and broke into the top-10 for the first time in her career.
Also, Anisimova was twice close to winning a Grand Slam this year – she was beaten by Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final and lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open title match.
Annacone, who worked with Federer between 2010 and 2013, was asked by tennis.com to pick the likelier 2026 Major winner between the 24-year-old American and Elena Rybakina.
“I have loved what we’ve seen from Amanda. I think she is knocking on the door, and she is my vote for a major victory next year," Annacone responded.
CoCo Vandeweghe also backs Anisimova to win a Slam next year
Rybakina didn't do particularly well in Majors this year. But late in the season, the Kazakh rediscovered her best game and that resulted in the world No. 5 winning Ningbo and the WTA Finals.
Vandeweghe, a 2017 Australian Open semifinalist, picked Anisimova to win a Major but also underlined that Rybakina was someone to look out for.
“I would love to say both, but if I had to choose one I would go with a first Slam for Amanda, which would be an amazing story. Amanda finished at number 359 in the WTA rankings at the end of 2023. Two years later, she finishes at number four with back-to-back Grand Slam final finishes. But both women definitely have it in them to do next year," Vandeweghe said.
The Australian Open has never been a happy hunting ground for Anisimova as the American has yet to make it past the round-of-16 stage at Melbourne Park.
On the other side, Rybakina finished as runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka in the 2023 Australian Open final.
