"Anisimova’s playing the best tennis in the world right now": Andrea Petkovic and Boris Becker effusive in praise of resurgent American

Tennis greats Boris Becker and Andrea Petkovic have heaped praise on Amanda Anisimova and Eva Lys, describing 2025 as a defining year for both players in the latest episode of their podcast Becker Petkovic.

Becker opened by declaring that Anisimova has produced the most consistent season of any player on the WTA Tour. "That brings me to Amanda Anisimova. She took time off to find herself and recover — and now look at her tennis. Madness. She’s just won Beijing. It’s great to see her winning a big title again. After Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, she’s playing the best tennis in the women’s game right now.”

Petkovic agreed, saying that Anisimova’s ceiling remains unmatched when she finds her rhythm. “When Amanda Anisimova plays a good match, she can beat anyone in the world. Coco Gauff has shown great form, but if Amanda plays well, it’s usually 6-2, 6-1 — it’s not even close. Linda Nosková played the tennis of her life in Beijing, beat Jess Pegula in a third-set tiebreak, but if Amanda plays well, she’s just a bit better than everyone else.”

Petkovic also pointed out the depth of American women’s tennis in 2025 and said Anisimova’s consistency might make her the standout despite the strength of the top names. “Look at American women’s tennis, Madison Keys won the Australian Open, Coco Gauff won the French Open, Jess Pegula reached the final against Gauff in Wuhan — and yet there’s an argument that Anisimova has had the best season of all. She won Doha in February, reached the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, and then won the Masters in China. So I’d almost say she’s had the best season of any American player this year.”

Becker was in full agreement. “I agree. In any case, she’s the comeback of the year — and it’s not over. She’s heading to the WTA Finals in Riyadh and next year she’ll go again. Sabalenka and the others will have to watch out — Amanda’s going for the crown. She’s played the most consistent season of anyone: no Grand Slam title, but finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, and wins in Doha and Beijing. She’s knocking very loudly on Coco Gauff’s door as the best American in the world.”

Becker and Petkovic then turned to Germany’s next big hope, Eva Lys, following her quarterfinal run at the WTA 1000 event in Beijing.

Andrea Petkovic: “It’s not even been a week since we last spoke about Eva Lys. We talked about her three or four weeks ago when she was really, really close against a top-10 player for the first time — it was in Cincinnati. Eva qualified, won a round, and then had two match points against Madison Keys that she couldn’t take. But it was the first time she’d been close, because all the other times against top-10 or top-20 players it was very one-sided — 6-1, 6-2, 6-3. Now it’s different. Her first really big quarterfinal at a Masters tournament came in Beijing, and she beat some great players there. She presented herself really well, and even against Coco Gauff, although she lost, she showed very, very good tennis. It was 6-3, 6-4, but much closer than it looked on paper.”

Petkovic said Lys’s self-belief was the key turning point. “That match against Madison Keys gave her confidence — and that’s incredibly important. You can of course lock yourself in the hotel room thinking, ‘Oh God, I had two match points against a top 10, what do I do now?’ But Eva did well — she showed a lot of self-confidence and now in Beijing she’s had really good results for her season.”

Becker believes Lys could become the homegrown star German tennis has been searching for. “Let’s be honest — Germany is looking for a tennis superstar again, especially on the women’s side. We have Eva Lys now, and of course Laura Siegemund and Tatjana Maria have been flying the flag too. But I’m talking about the young players — and for Eva, that quarterfinal in Beijing is a quantum leap. She’s up to around 45th in the world, her career-high. That means main draw at every Grand Slam — and more importantly, a belief that she can compete with the very best.”

Becker also revealed that he’d given Lys some advice before her match with Gauff. “Before her match against Gauff, we exchanged a few WhatsApp messages. I tried to prepare her with some good hints for the match,” he said. “Ah, so now it comes out — the secret coach in the background!” quipped Petkovic.

"The secret coach, yes! But it’s important to me that German players do well. If they reach out, I’ll always share a few thoughts. She lost to Gauff, but she played well — and that’s a sign she can keep up with the absolute top of the world. Afterwards she went to Oktoberfest and had some fun," joked Becker.

“Were those also your coaching tips, Boris?” asked Petkovic jokingly about Oktoberfest. "No, but she’s an adult woman — she can do what she wants. What I like is that she’s open on social media about what she does, and she’s already becoming a small star in German sport. That’s great for women’s tennis — to have a younger player who others can identify with. Young girls can look at her and say, ‘If Eva can do it, maybe I can too.’”

Petkovic added that letting players express themselves is crucial for longevity. “There are players who have interests outside tennis, and you have to encourage that — it’s about balance,” she said. “Serena and Maria Sharapova are great examples who managed both. Others, like Eugenie Bouchard, admitted they sometimes lost the balance — but locking players into a strict ‘tennis-only’ cage doesn’t work. You have to let them breathe a little so they can bring freshness and creativity to the court.”

Becker agreed: “Exactly — there’s life beyond tennis. You need that for mental and physical freshness. If you only play, train, and sleep tennis, at some point you become dull, and burnout follows — especially with the women. That’s why balance is so important.”