Keys: "I did not need to win a Slam to feel that I had a good career"

Mónica Barberán Munera | 25 Jan 2025 | 15.30

Madison Keys at the Australian Open 2025. Photo: Getty

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Madison Keys was very well received at the press conference following her victory at the Australian Open 2025, something well deserved after demonstrating her perseverance as a player and as a person. The American finally holds her first Grand Slam trophy, the result of an exceptional journey in which she had to defeat great players like Swiatek or Sabalenka. Facing the media, Keys talked about how this journey has been to her first Slam or how therapy has helped her make the necessary career change to achieve this accomplishment.

- Her journey to this point

“I think everything happens for a reason. I had to go through difficult things, which forced me to look in the mirror and try to work on the pressure I put on myself. Since I was very young, I felt that if I never won a Grand Slam, I wouldn't live up to what others thought I should be. It was a heavy burden to carry, but I finally reached a point where I was proud of myself and my career, with or without a Slam. I was at a point where I didn't care if it didn't happen. I didn't need it to feel like I had a good career.”

- Did you ever think it would really happen?

“As you get older and reach the final stage of your career, you obviously think: ‘Will it ever really happen? If it doesn't, does it mean I didn't live up to what they said I should do?’ So, I think it went from being something positive to turning into a bit of panic: Why hasn't it happened yet? Why haven't I been able to achieve it? If I don't, will I be considered a failure? I had to personally work out many things because I was putting a lot of pressure on myself.”

- A self-confidence turning point. When did you start believing this day could come?

“I think in the last year. Even with injuries and some tough losses, I started to find myself a bit. I was beginning to have a clearer mind and be more present on the court. In the past, sometimes I felt that during matches, especially when things started going wrong, I wasn't in my own body and looked at myself as if I was belittling myself. I felt like I couldn't connect my brain with my body. And last year, I started to take each point individually instead of panicking. I felt like I started playing good tennis and understanding how things worked when I wasn't doing well […] I think winning the match against Iga was a big hurdle where I felt like I could do it, but doing it that way made me think after the match that I absolutely could win today.”

- During the tournament, did you feel like you were doing so well?

“I don't know if I had that moment. I felt before each match that I could go out and play the way I wanted, that it would give me a chance to win. I didn't stress about what I couldn't control, played a bit more freely. […] I gained confidence bit by bit, and I think partly because I never got ahead of myself in thinking about the next round.”

- The importance of therapy in the career turnaround

“I think the WTA is doing a very good job by having someone at the tournaments you can talk to and vent. It's helpful for me, but also for others. The stigma around therapy is slowly starting to fade. Therapy is something I will continue to do for the rest of my life. I think if more people go and talk about it, it will become normal.”

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Keys: "No necesitaba ganar un Slam para sentir que había tenido una buena carrera"