Keys breaks down in tears at press conference: "I have to change something, this cannot be"
Heartbreaking and cruel. That's what Madison Keys had to endure in the third round of the US Open 2026, succumbing to Qinwen Zheng after leading the third set 0-5. It seems incomprehensible how the American player could let the match slip away, as she appeared at the press conference visibly affected and unable to hold back her tears.
This is what Keys said after losing a 0-5 lead to Zheng in the final set
"I had a very good lead, but then I got really scared. I was no longer able to hit my shots. At this moment, tennis seems really hard to me, and I think that feeling ended up taking over me.
In the end, she started to play better, and I started to play worse. Then I felt like I didn't know how to play tennis anymore. Suddenly, it seemed to me that this was something much more important than just a tennis match.
I feel like I have been struggling with this for a while. I managed to keep playing despite it for some time. Probably everyone could see that I wasn't entirely fine, but inside, it was undoubtedly much more intense than what could be perceived from the outside.
There are weeks that are easier than others. This is obviously one of the hardest because we care a lot.
I'm going to have to make some changes. I've been accumulating things and postponing them for a while, because that's how the tennis world works. But I've reached the point where I really need to do something."
Madison Keys' words reflect the sense of helplessness and anger she must feel after squandering such a lead and highlight how difficult it is to be an elite tennis player and deal with these kinds of situations.
Madison Keys sounds like she's going through a real hard time
Hope she'll be alright pic.twitter.com/jk9xsycT3t— Corvath Draemir (@Archaicmind3000) September 5, 2026
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Keys rompe a llorar en rueda de prensa: "Tengo que cambiar algo, esto no puede ser"