We are nearing the end of the season and some players have already headed home after a hectic schedule. It’s time for them to analyze their performance, learn, and bring up a better version in 2025. This season, we witnessed some stellar comebacks. For example, Anna Kalinskaya started this season ranking 80th in the world, but with the help of her incredible performances throughout the season, she has now ascended to the 12th spot in the women’s singles ranking. She was last seen in action at the Ningbo Open. Is she done with her season, though?

Anna Kalinskaya has played 52 matches this season. She has faced quite a few health issues this year. For example, in Miami, Kalinskaya was forced to withdraw from her fourth-round match, due to a “right thigh injury“.

Then during Wimbledon, we saw something similar with Kalinskaya claiming, “I was feeling a bit numb. It affected me quite a lot.” She was forced to retire from her R4 match against Elena Rybakina. Even at the Canadian Open, she had to withdraw from her match. So, overall it has been a mixed season so far for the Russian and perhaps now she’s feeling a bit tired too!

Her compatriot, Daria Kasatkina uploaded a vlog where the two tennis stars were exchanging banters at an event called ‘Ace the Night’ that was a players’ party held ahead of the Ningbo Open. Kasatkina looked as if she wanted to know whether Kalinskaya was done with her season this year. One woman who also joined them mentioned that in Ningbo, Kalinskaya was found to visit an Italian restaurant, ‘The Corner’.

In reply, we heard Anna Kalinskaya say, “I’m ready for Holidays. I was ready for holidays already when you beat me in January.” For context, Kasatkina defeated Kalinskaya in the R16 of the Adelaide International by 5-7,6-4,7-5 on January 10.

Further, during the interaction with Kasatkina, she explained that she feels like “Autumn Blues” now and claimed, “I’m not in a romantic mood.” For those who are unaware, Autumn Blues is a form of sadness that is experienced in autumn and winter when nights get longer than the day. Indeed, Kalinskaya’s blues were succinctly visible on the courts in the Ningbo Open.

It took place in Kalinskaya’s match against Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Kalinskaya started strongly to win the first set. But she could not convert it into a victory and lost the match in three sets (6-2, 2-6, 3-6). Kalinskaya could not manage any ace against Muchova. She ended up making 13 double faults, while Muchova was limited only to 2. Kalinskaya also struggled to convert the breakpoints in the match. After all that, she could not hold back her emotions after the loss as she was left crying profusely.

In clips on social media, Kalinskaya was seen crying while sitting in her chair after the match. She was continuously wiping her face with the towel as tears kept rolling out. But a single loss was probably not the only factor.

Kalinskaya’s emotional breakdown may be a result of the heartbreaking losses she had to face throughout the season. Despite her improvement in the ranking, she could not win any title this season. The world no. 12 reached the finals of the Dubai Open and the Berlin Grass Court championship but ended up losing against Jasmine Paolini and Jessica Pegula respectively. If this was not enough, her Grand Slam tournaments were equally disappointing. Her best performance came in the Australian Open, where she reached the quarterfinals. couple that with the exhaustion of the packed WTA schedule.

The women’s rankings in WTA are based on 18 tournaments, but the top players are expected to play at least in 20: the four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1,000 events, and six WTA 500 tournaments. The majority of 1,000 events now last about 12 days, with the tournaments in Cincinnati and Canada the next to be extended in 2025. To add to it, top players can also expect invitations to exhibitions.

It is something that even the likes of World No. 1 Iga Swiatek have also spoken up about. Speaking ahead of the start of the Cincinnati Open, Iga had said, “Our calendar is crazy, probably the toughest one in sports. There are sports that are really tough because, physically, you might get beat up. But most sports have four months off, sometimes even six.” Notably, she has withdrawn from several tournaments lately citing fatigue as the reason.

Taking all these together, it seems that Kalinskaya wants to spend some time with her family. And then with her boyfriend, Jannik Sinner probably. Anna Kalinskaya and Jannik Sinner made their relationship public in May this year during the French Open.

The couple, although private about their personal lives, have frequently supported each other from the sidelines since then. In fact, fans also love seeing them together! And their love for this tennis couple is so intense that just a few days ago we heard a rumor about Sinner getting married to Kalinskaya. But how did the two players react to this rumor?

Anna Kalinskaya denied all the rumors about her marriage with Jannik Sinner

Seeing the tennis couple together multiple times over the last few months made some of the fans conclude that they might have just tied the knot secretly. For example, during the US Open, fans saw the couple share a passionate kiss while celebrating Jannik Sinner‘s emphatic triumph. Then after Jannik Sinner’s loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the China Open final, we saw Kalinskaya affectionately hugging and consoling him. 

Speaking about the support he gets from Kalinskaya, Sinner said, “As tennis players we are, you know, different. I am different also to other tennis players. But for sure I always try to support her because she also tries to support me, giving some positive energy.” They’ve been spotted at the same venue supporting each other during their matches multiple times this season. 

Now coming back to their not-so-romantic confession surrounding the rumors about their marriage. Anna Kalinskaya humorously cleared the air saying, “To clarify things about fake rumors: this is not true. Thank you for all your congratulations. False start.” Jannik Sinner also said, “It was new also for me, to be honest. No, I didn’t ask, and nothing, nothing happened. I just read the details a little bit that it happened after US Open, but it’s all false, false news.” 

Both Anna Kalinskaya and Jannik Sinner were in the spotlight with their on-court and off-court activities this season. Sinner has had a great year winning two major titles. And though Kalinskaya didn’t win a title this year, she played some outstanding tennis making some deep runs in some of the tournaments. She has probably drawn the curtain on her season with hopes of returning to action with renewed energy next year. What do you think of her chances in 2025?