Madison Keys Stopped Worrying About Winning A Slam. Then She Went Out And Won One

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday January 28, 2025

Madison Keys needed to let go of her hopes and goals to realize them.

Additionally Learn: Keys Wins Maiden Major | 25 Thoughts on AO 25 | Social Media Reacts to Keys Title

After finishing her dramatic run to her maiden main title over the weekend in Melbourne, the American talked in regards to the tough strategy of coping with expectations and making sense of her personal emotions with regard to her profession.

Keys, who edged World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s ultimate, made a number of adjustments to her recreation, most notably her serve, and also changed racquets and strings in the off-season.

However she additionally noticed a therapist, and she or he says that it was one of many issues that helped her really unlock her finest self.

“I lastly received to the purpose the place I used to be personally low sufficient that I used to be like, I do not actually care if this helps me carry out, I simply need to really feel higher,” Keys stated of her remedy periods, which weren’t actually sport-specific.

Keys stated the remedy helped result in a lightbulb second that allowed her to handle her nerves higher than ever earlier than.

“For no matter motive, it was form of identical to this gentle bulb second the place I began actually shopping for into, I will be nervous and I can nonetheless play good tennis. These issues can reside collectively,” she stated. “So I finished preventing, attempting to push away the emotions and pretending that they are not there and simply accepting them and actually telling myself that they are effective they usually’re completely regular to be there, and I can nonetheless play tennis.”

Greater than something, Keys made strides in her personal thoughts, and eventually accepted her profession for what it was. There wasn’t a Grand Slam title on her resume, however did it actually matter? She determined that her profession was distinctive, with a Slam or with out..

“I feel every little thing form of occurs for a motive,” she stated. “I feel for me particularly, I form of needed to undergo some powerful issues. I feel it simply form of pressured me to take a look at myself within the mirror a bit of bit and attempt to work on [dealing with] inner stress that I used to be placing on myself.

“From a reasonably younger age, I felt like if I by no means gained a Grand Slam, then I would not have lived as much as what individuals thought I ought to have been. That was a reasonably heavy burden to form of carry round. So I lastly received to the purpose the place I used to be pleased with myself and pleased with my profession, with or and not using a Grand Slam. I lastly received to the purpose the place I used to be okay if it did not occur. I did not want it to really feel like I had a superb profession or that I deserved to be talked about as an awesome tennis participant.

“I really feel like lastly letting go of that form of inner speak that I had simply gave me the power to truly exit and play some actually good tennis to truly win a Grand Slam.”