Madison Keys arrived in Melbourne mainly outside the spotlight, hoping to have as much fun as she could as her 30th birthday approached.
Despite being told at just 14 that she would be a future World #1, it was an immense weight for any young athlete to bear.
“That was a pretty heavy burden to kind of carry around,” she said candidly.
After making her semifinal debut at a Major in 2015 in Melbourne while still only 19, she played the US Open championship match two years later but succumbed to nerves and fear, losing 6-3 6-0 to Sloane Stephens.
Even though she won’t be world #1 just yet, American now has her answer after defeating two-time reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka in an epic three-set classic on Rod Laver Arena.
Keys admitted she had to undergo “lots of therapy” to overcome the demons eating away at her for years, constantly nagging that she was a failure.
From an early age, Keys possessed a well-rounded game: powerful serving, swift movements, strong groundstrokes, and ease at the net. However, she struggled to shake off the distressing belief that she was disappointing those around her by failing to secure one of tennis’s most prestigious titles.
“For me specifically, I kind of had to go through some tough things.
“I felt like from a pretty young age, I felt like if I never won a Grand Slam, then I wouldn’t have lived up to what people thought I should have been,” said Keys.
Last year, she ended her season early and married her coach, Bjorn Fratangelo, in November, returning to competitive play after Christmas with renewed energy.
“I finally got to the point where I was proud of myself and proud of my career, with or without winning a Grand Slam,” Keys said.
A New Perspective
Before heading to Melbourne, she won the Adelaide International and is currently on a 12-match winning streak, which includes victories over five Top 10 players, including the top two, and eight matches decided in three sets.
Following her semifinal defeat, Swiatek praised Keys’s bravery in taking risks with big shots during critical moments.
She did take more risks as she went all out to break Sabalenka’s serve for the win, especially as Saturday’s final seemed destined for the nerve-wracking tension of a deciding set tiebreak. Her newfound boldness was rewarded just like in her semi-final victory over number two Iga Swiatek.
Her path to glory even makes her triumph more remarkable after defeating former Melbourne finalists Danielle Collins and Elena Rybakina along her journey in addition to the top two players.
In a field where prestigious trophies gauge achievement, it took the American another 15 years after securing her first WTA Tour match as a teenager to claim a Grand Slam title.
On Monday, Madison Keys will be ranked seventh in the world, matching her career-high from 2016 when she was just 20 years old and on February 17, she will celebrate her 30th birthday with her husband Bjorn, having checked the Australian Open off her list and with a sense of satisfaction.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
