The price of a trophy: Amanda Anisimova withdraws from Wuhan after China Open title

Amanda Anisimova will ultimately not compete at the Wuhan Open, choosing to withdraw before her debut match. The World No. 4 was confirmed in the draw to face Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round, but her withdrawal from the tournament was recently confirmed.

The American comes straight from winning the China Open title—her second WTA 1000 crown of the year—where she defeated Linda Noskova in the final. Anisimova had to overcome 6 matches over 9 days, defeating strong opponents like Karolina Muchova, Jasmine Paolini, and Coco Gauff along the way.

Anisimova was the champion of the penultimate WTA 1000 event of the year in Beijing, and her second such title of the season. She beat Noskova 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 to claim her 4th title of the year and second WTA 1000, following her win at the Qatar Open earlier in the season. Although the American claimed to feel physically fine after her victory over Noskova, her withdrawal from the tournament was confirmed this Monday, reportedly due to discomfort in her left calf.

Anisimova confirmed that she opted to take a rest to prepare for the final challenges of the year. Her spot will be taken by 17-year-old Lucky Loser Iva Jovic. The teenager had lost in the second qualifying round to Varvara Gracheva but will now enter the Wuhan main draw, skipping the first round as Anisimova (the 4th seed) had received a bye. Jovic will now debut against Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

Anisimova's withdrawal makes her the third Top-10 player to pull out of the final WTA 1000 tournament of the year. Injured players Madison Keys and Zheng Qinwen had already withdrawn due to their respective injuries, opening up possibilities in the draw, which is now missing one of its major favorites in Anisimova.

"I was having pain in my foot and in my calf more into the third round," Anisimova commented in the post-final press conference in Beijing. "I think it was obvious in one of the matches where I was in pain. I was just hurting all day when I was walking. I'm still having a bit of pain, but it's nothing serious. It's just annoying aches and pains.”

Anisimova had also previously mentioned having a wisdom tooth pulled just before the China Open, adding to the pain she suffered in her first-round match against Katie Boulter. However, it is not believed to be a major concern, and Anisimova is expected to return to the court without problems within a week. "The good thing at the end of the day is it's nothing that would limit me or prevent me to keep playing for the rest of the season," she added.

The 24-year-old is scheduled to compete in the WTA 500 Ningbo Open in one week, which will be her penultimate tournament of the year. Following that, she is confirmed for the WTA Finals in Riyadh—which will be her first appearance at the year-end event—and which gives her a chance to finish the year in the Top-3 if she performs well.

Anisimova has undoubtedly been one of the best players of the season, reaching the finals of the last two Grand Slams: falling in the Wimbledon final to Iga Swiatek and the US Open final to Aryna Sabalenka. Coupled with her two WTA 1000 titles, the American is comfortably ranked at No. 4 and sits at No. 3 in the WTA Race. This gives her the primary chance to end the year as the American No. 1—displacing Coco Gauff—and to secure a spot on the WTA podium for the first time.