For seven long years, Madison Keys carried the weight of unfulfilled Grand Slam potential. Ever since her devastating 2017 US Open final loss, the American powerhouse had been a perennial contender, making deep runs at the biggest tournaments but never quite breaking through.
That all changed at the 2025 Australian Open, where Keys stunned the tennis world, defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to finally lift her maiden Grand Slam trophy. But what made the difference this time?
In a revealing conversation with Andy Roddick on his podcast Served, Keys opened up about the major mental shift that allowed her to overcome the demons of the past and deliver on the biggest stage.
The Keys to Victory: A New Approach to Pressure
Looking back on her first Grand Slam final in 2017, where she suffered a humbling 6-3, 6-0 loss to close friend Sloane Stephens, Keys admitted she wasn’t ready for the moment.
For years, she struggled with managing nerves in high-pressure matches, believing that feeling nervous meant she couldn’t perform at her best.
“During my young years, when I started to feel the nerves, I would almost start panicking a little bit,” Keys told Roddick. “To me, it correlated with ‘How am I going to play well if I’m also nervous?’”
But something clicked in the past year. Instead of fighting her nerves, she learned how to embrace them.
“The other players playing well weren’t dealing with the nerves,” she continued. “When the nerves hit, my brain and my body just separate. By talking to myself a bit more and more, I had the nerves but also was able to play good tennis. They are not mutually exclusive.”
This breakthrough in mindset became the foundation for her success, allowing her to navigate one of the toughest Grand Slam paths in recent memory:
- Elena Rybakina
- Danielle Collins
- Iga Swiatek
- Aryna Sabalenka (final)
Each victory demanded mental toughness, and Keys delivered.
A Career Revival at 29—And More to Come?
Now just weeks away from her 30th birthday, Keys is riding a wave of momentum. She’s back in the Top 10, and for the first time in years, she truly believes she belongs there.
Despite being forced out of the ATX Open due to a WTA rule restricting more than one Top 10 player per WTA 250 event, she’s set to return in Dubai on February 17, where she’ll look to build on her Australian Open triumph.
The pressure of chasing a first Slam is gone—but could that make her even more dangerous in 2025?
With a newfound mental edge and her fearsome power game still intact, Madison Keys may have just unlocked the best chapter of her career yet.