World No. 6 Amanda Anisimova is preparing for another Miami Open appearance with fond memories of attending the tournament as a child, when it was held at the former Crandon Park site in Key Biscayne from 1987 to 2018. The 24-year-old Miami Beach resident made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the Miami Open in 2017, but her connection to the tournament dates back much earlier to her childhood visits to the former venue.
“I would go to the Crandon Park site a lot as a kid, and I absolutely loved it,” Anisimova said. “It was one of my favorite times of the year. It’s a lot of cute memories.” The two-time Grand Slam finalist recalled watching tennis legends Caroline Wozniacki, Roger Federer and Victoria Azarenka play and practice when she could get a good view of the courts.
Anisimova’s most cherished childhood memory involved getting autographs from tennis icons Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, who signed her hat during one of her visits to the tournament. She made sure to wear the signed hat religiously for the entire following year, treasuring the signatures from two of the sport’s biggest stars. The young Anisimova also remembers wanting to become a ball kid at the tournament but ultimately deciding against it because the rigorous training required wasn’t worth the commitment.
“I was a fan,” Anisimova said of her childhood perspective on professional tennis. “Obviously I played a lot, and I competed, but the dream was just so far [away], and I was just a kid as well. Maybe some kids dream that one day they’ll be there, but I think that it just didn’t seem realistic to me as a child.” Her first professional appearance at the Miami Open came in 2017 with a tough three-set loss to Taylor Townsend, marking the beginning of her professional relationship with the tournament that had captivated her as a child.
The Miami Open moved from Key Biscayne to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in 2019, where it continues to be held as part of the WTA 1000 events. Anisimova returned to the tournament in 2018 and defeated Qiang Wang in a match where she injured her right foot in the third set, earning her one and only victory at the Key Biscayne venue before withdrawing ahead of her next match against Garbine Muguruza. Her best result at the relocated tournament came last year when she snapped Mirra Andreeva’s 13-match winning streak before falling to Emma Raducanu in the fourth round.
“I’m going into this tournament feeling good,” Anisimova said about her current preparation. “I feel like I’ve had quite a few matches this year already and have been playing good tennis. So yeah, just happy to be here. I feel healthy. Just looking forward to getting started, and hopefully I can keep that momentum going.” The tournament now offers her the advantage of sleeping in her own bed and occasionally driving to the stadium with friends, making the experience feel more fun and familiar than typical tour events.
Seeded sixth in the tournament, Anisimova received a bye into the second round where she will face Ajla Tomljanovic. Anisimova has failed to beat the Australian player in two previous encounters, though their last meeting was in 2021. The Miami Open, which began in 1985 and has grown from $1.8 million in prize money to over $13 million today, attracted more than 386,000 attendees in 2023, making it one of the largest tennis tournaments outside the four Grand Slam events.