Amanda Anisimova has suffered another setback on the WTA Tour, with the World No. 6 withdrawing from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome because of a left wrist injury. The news is a blow to the tournament and to fans hoping to see the American build momentum on clay, especially after a season already interrupted by fitness concerns.
The 24-year-old was due to meet Jelena Ostapenko in the second round on Thursday, but that match will now be filled by lucky loser Elena Gabriela Ruse. For Anisimova, the withdrawal means yet another missed opportunity to establish rhythm on a surface where match sharpness is everything, and where every week matters with the French Open approaching.
Anisimova has still not played a match on clay this season. Her build-up was first derailed when she pulled out of the Credit One Charleston Open in late March, saying she had picked up an undisclosed injury in Miami. Just two weeks later, she withdrew from the Mutua Madrid Open with the wrist issue that has now forced her out of Rome as well.
For a player of Anisimova’s quality, the timing is particularly frustrating. She is a two-time Grand Slam finalist and one of the most naturally gifted ball-strikers on the women’s tour, but her 2024 campaign has been stop-start since the early spring. Even when she has competed, the volume has been limited, making it difficult to string together the kind of results that build confidence and ranking security.
Before the recent setbacks, Anisimova had shown plenty of promise. She reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January and followed that up with a run to the semi-finals in Dubai a month later. But since then, she has managed only six matches, a worrying figure for a player expected to be part of the upper tier of the women’s game.
Her most recent appearances came at Indian Wells and the Miami Open, where she made back-to-back runs to the Round of 16. Those results suggested her form was beginning to settle, but the injury interruptions soon returned. Shortly after Miami, she also confirmed that she had mutually parted ways with coach Hendrik Vleeshouwers, adding another layer of transition to an already difficult period.
In a social media post reflecting on their partnership, Anisimova wrote that “last year holds so many special moments and achievements together that I will never forget!” She added that while the trophies and milestones mattered, the memories behind the scenes would stay with her even more. It was a warm public farewell, but one that came at a time when stability on and off the court was clearly becoming harder to maintain.
The latest withdrawal also raises wider questions about how much tennis the American can realistically handle over the next few months. With the clay season in full swing and the major events looming, players are under pressure to be physically ready almost every week. For Anisimova, though, the immediate priority now is recovery, not rankings or draw positions.
As we have seen across the tour, wrist injuries can be especially troublesome for players who rely on clean timing and aggressive shot-making. That is certainly the case for Anisimova, whose game is built around pace, early ball striking and confidence from the baseline. Any discomfort in the wrist can affect not only power, but also the ability to stay loose through long rallies on slower surfaces like clay.
The Rome field will go on without her, but the absence of Amanda Anisimova is another reminder of how quickly momentum can disappear in elite tennis. For now, all eyes will be on how she manages the injury and whether she can return in time to salvage a meaningful clay-court campaign.