How letting go of the burden of never winning a Grand Slam led Madison Keys to her maiden Slam at Australian Open
Madison Keys revealed that letting go of the pressure of never winning a Grand Slam was the key to her breakthrough victory at the 2025 Australian Open. In the final, Keys faced Aryna Sabalenka and emerged triumphant to claim her first singles title.
On Saturday, January 25, Keys lifted the trophy at the Rod Laver Arena, triumphing over Sabalenka in a tough, hard-fought three-set match with a score of 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. In an incredible run, Keys not only defeated the two-time defending champion but also took down World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.
In her post-match interview, Madison Keys opened up about the challenges she faced on her journey to winning her first Grand Slam title. The American revealed that it was the process of letting go of the pressure to win a major that ultimately allowed her to achieve it.
She said:
“I think, I've done a lot of work to no longer need this. I really wanted it, but it was no longer, you know, the thing that was going to define me. And kind of letting go of that burden, I think finally gave myself, I finally gave myself the ability to actually play for it.”
During the press conference, she later explained the "heavy burden" she had been carrying on her shoulders until now from a very young age.
“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. That was a pretty heavy burden to kind of carry around.”
The 29-year-old shared how, at a young age, someone expressed their expectation that she would win a Grand Slam.
“ I mean, it definitely started pretty young. Probably 11, 12, something like that. It obviously was meant to be confidence-building and all of that.”
In 2015, the American made a name for herself by reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open as a 19-year-old, where she faced Serena Williams. She returned to the Australian Open semifinals in 2022 but fell short against Australian Ashleigh Barty.
Madison Keys on chances of winning a Grand Slam: “Will this ever actually happen?”
Madison Keys, during the press conference, reflected that as she got older and didn't achieve the Grand Slams she had aimed for, it made her question her ability to ever actually get the title.
“I think as I got older and I had gotten close and it didn't happen, and then it's you're getting older, you're obviously in the later stages of your career, it kind of feels like, Will this ever actually happen? If it doesn't happen, I didn't live up to what everyone told me I should have done,” she said.
Keys had previously missed the opportunity to claim a singles title at the 2017 US Open, where she was defeated by Sloane Stephens in straight sets.
The 29-year-old acknowledged that she had come to terms with the reality of not winning a major title and had made peace with it. She found pride in her career, knowing she had given it her all.
“So I finally got to the point where I was proud of myself and proud of my career, with or without a Grand Slam. I finally got to the point where I was okay if it didn't happen. I didn't need it to feel like I had a good career or that I deserved to be talked about as a great tennis player,” the American said.
Keys shared that winning the Grand Slam was the result of calming her inner mind, which ultimately gave her the strength and focus to secure the victory.
she added:
“I feel like finally letting go of that kind of internal talk that I had just gave me the ability to actually go out and play some really good tennis to actually win a Grand Slam.”