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Madison Keys left no room for doubt about her stance with her post-match comments after the Australian Open final. The American finally secured her long-awaited first Grand Slam title, triumphing at the 2025 Australian Open on Saturday night, January 25.
In a thrilling and hard-fought final, Madison Keys defeated the current World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, in a grueling three-set battle, winning 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.
During the WTA Insider Podcast episode, Champions Corner: Madison Keys Gets Her Grand Slam, which aired on Monday, January 27, Keys was asked about her emotions after achieving her "white knuckle" moment. Previously, she had stated that she wasn’t playing with the title as her main goal this time.
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Keys made some contradictory statements, saying she still wanted to win a major title but didn’t see it as the ultimate measure of her success. She explained:
“Well, I mean, let's make it completely clear," Madison Keys said. "I really wanted it still. Yeah, like I still really wanted to win a Grand Slam. I just didn't like, I wasn't like laying in bed at night being like, 'I'm a failure if I don't win one anymore', which is two very different things. But I just feel like it's a lot healthier to just want to win one.”
The 29-year-old American added:
“I mean, at the end of the day, I want to win every tournament that I'm in a draw of. And I feel like I am getting a lot better at that being enough and that being okay. And I'm actually able to play tennis.”
Lastly, Keys said that as long as she had the urge to play, she would continue to secure victories, she said:
“Obviously going to have some bad days still. Obviously going to lose matches that are still tough. But I feel like as long as I can continue to want to win matches and tournaments and not need them, then I think things will be good.”
After winning the final, Keys revealed the secret to her success. She explained that this time, she let go of the overwhelming pressure to win a Grand Slam—something that had previously affected her performance.
By freeing herself from that burden, the 29-year-old was able to play her best and ultimately became the season’s first women’s Grand Slam champion.
“I think I've done a lot of work to no longer need this”- Madison Keys after maiden Grand Slam win at 2025 Australian Open
Madison Keys claimed her first Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open, defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final. During the post-match interview, Keys shared her thoughts on how she has learned to let go of the pressure of winning a Major title.
She discussed the process, saying:
“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.”
She described the urge of winning the Grand Slam title as a "heavy burden."
“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.”
Keys realized that freeing herself from that internal “burden” was what finally allowed her to achieve her long-awaited dream. She shared:
“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.”
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.”
Madison Keys was expected to compete in the Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2025, a WTA 1000 tournament held on hard courts in Doha. However, the American has reportedly withdrawn citing injury. The event will take place from February 9 to February 15, 2025.
