Keys discusses with Boardroom how a new mental approach helped her win the 2025 Australian Open, her first Grand Slam victory, at age 29.
Madison Keys first played in a Grand Slam tournament at 16 years old in 2011, competing in 45 Grand Slam events before this year’s Australian Open. But about 12-15 months ago, a change in mindset allowed the 29-year-old American to embrace her nerves and vulnerabilities on the court and play more freely on the court. In Melbourne, the shift paid massive dividends.
Keys became the first women’s player in 22 years to defeat the top two ranked tennis players in the world en route to capturing her first major title, knocking off four of the top 10 in the process. As part of a whirlwind worldwide media tour, Keys spoke to Boardroom about how she transformed her mental approach, who she cherished calling and contacting after the biggest moment of her career, business advice she’d give young tennis players, and more.
The following has been edited for length and clarity
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Shlomo Sprung: What made you ready for this moment?
Madison Keys: I felt like I was starting to play some really good tennis, even after having some really tough matches, tough losses, and some injuries pop up throughout the year. I was starting to find my footing a little bit and being a lot better at problem solving through matches. For me, it’s just being a little bit more clearheaded and present during matches so I can start shifting from “this isn’t working” to making changes and shifting into Plan B more quickly and being a little bit more defensive. The biggest thing is really trusting myself and pushing myself towards constantly playing the way I want to play so I can walk off the court with a sense of pride.
SS: You’re dictating what you can control.
MK: And there have been matches in the past where I’ve gotten a little bit passive in big moments and not gone for something I should have. And I’ve always kind of walked away with a little bit of regret because I’d much rather go after my shots and play tennis the way that I want to. And if I don’t execute correctly or they play a better shot and beat me, I can live with that.
SS: You also mentioned that you decided at some point that you didn’t need to win a grand slam to validate your career.
MK: I had to start figuring out who I was as a person instead of as a tennis player. And I was really letting tennis and my accomplishments dictate my self-worth. And that was not a great place to be. It was starting to be too much for me, and I was not in a good place. I wasn’t happy. Who really can be if there are results that you only have 50% control of dictating how you feel about yourself? So, I had to get to the point where I was proud of everything that I’ve done so far and that I didn’t need outside validation anymore to have pride in my career.
I then got to the point where I was able to play a little bit more free, but I also got a lot better at being okay with having nerves and anxiety during matches and being able to tell myself that those things can happen, but you can also play tennis through them and you can play good tennis through them. In the past, for some reason, this thought that people who played amazing tennis in tight moments just didn’t have nerves or they were able to ignore them. And for whatever reason it finally clicked that you can have all of those feelings and work your way through them.
SS: It seems like people view the best athletes in any sport is mentally and physically invincible when that’s not how humans work or operate.
MK: I always thought that the best athletes just didn’t have the nerves or anxiety or doubts; instead of the fact that they were fine with them being there, they acknowledged them and worked their way through them instead of suppressing and pretending that they weren’t there. And when you’re accepting of them, you can continue to think about what you need to do to work through them versus getting so wrapped up in the work of suppressing the actual emotion that I wasn’t thinking about playing tennis.
SS: What’s this last 96 hours of your worldwide media tour been like?
MK: It’s been busy. I didn’t realize this, but from the moment you finish the trophy ceremony, it all starts and you just keep going and going. But it’s been really fun and it’s been really amazing to have all of these moments to help me reflect on everything that’s happened and take it in and appreciate it all. At the core of it, I’ve really enjoyed spending all of the time that I have with my team. They’ve been so supportive and it’s been really fun to spend time with them. I’m obviously married to my coach [Bjorn Fratangelo], but they’re some of my closest, best friends. It’s been big for me because it’s the most vulnerable I’ve been with a group of people, and led to a level of closeness that I wasn’t anticipating.
SS: Any unique shout outs, calls or messages?
MK: I’ve gotten so many messages, tweets, and DMs, and the level of support has been almost overwhelming. It’s been really special. Laura Robson, calling it for Eurosport, being there was amazing. Mary Joe Fernández was my Fed Cup captain for many years, and having her to get to call, Lindsay Davenport. So many people throughout my career who have seen all the ups and downs and have been so supportive. Being able to see all of them in that moment was one of my favorite things. And I was surprised by the tweet from Lil Wayne. I wasn’t anticipating him being a women’s tennis fan. That one was kind of funny.
SS: You passed by a Nike billboard at Penn Station that read, “It doesn’t happen overnight until it does.” Did you know that Nike was going to do a billboard celebratory campaign for you?
MK: I had no idea until after the match and one of my reps sent it to me. It’s one of “pinch me” moments where you don’t really ever think about it happening and then it does. It’s really cool to be up there and have that honor. You know how many other people have been up there and have those accomplishments. So to be in that class with all those other amazing athletes is really cool.
SS: You said you were inspired by Venus Williams growing up. Now, perhaps there are boys and girls who have watched you and taken inspiration from what you accomplished. What’s your message for young players who are either thinking about going on tour or just getting their start on tour?
MK: That there are such huge opportunities and I think you should go for it. Life is too short, and you can always pivot and try something else. But no matter how old you are, if you keep working towards your goals, amazing things can happen. Then, my biggest thing is make sure that you have someone that you trust to kind of bounce ideas off of.
SS: For players who are getting their start on tour and being approached by brands and businesses who want to work with them, what advice would you give to those players?
MK: Have someone around who will always have your back. Things move really quickly, and it can get pretty overwhelming. So, having the right people that you trust as a support system. They can help guide you through some of the weeds and things you’re not really prepared for. It’s pretty easy to only see what’s directly in front of you. So having someone who has experience, wants what’s best for you, and can see the whole picture and have them guide you through some big decisions.
SS: What’s one modern development in tennis that’s impacted the business of the sport?
MK: On-court coaching has made tennis more interesting for the fans. Being able to see players interact with their teams through matches gives it a fresh new element and helping modernize the game. Tennis was the same for so long, so adding in interaction between players and coaches, especially when mic’d up, gives an inside look into what coaches are thinking and saying to each other. It adds a little bit of humanity to it. It makes the sport better and helps connect fans to the moment better.
SS: You’re now up to seventh in the WTA rankings, matching your career high. How do you maintain this level or climb from here for the rest of the year and build off your momentum?
MK: The biggest thing is just learning from this experience and having really good goals that were only things I can control. It put me in a really good position to start playing really good consistent tennis. In the past I’ve gotten a little bit too consumed with winning, losing, and the rankings and solely focusing on results-based goals instead of progress. And going into the Australian Open swing, my only goal was to really work on implementing all the changes we were working on during the offseason into matches. And as hard or uncomfortable as it felt, just buying into that helped level up my game. Having that similar thought process of continuing to get better on the practice court and implementing that in matches is a really attainable goal.
