Madison Keys gets honest about how Serena Williams' 2-word message after her Australian Open triumph 'meant the world' to her

Madison Keys is experiencing some of the best days of her career after capturing her first Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open. The American recently shared the two-word message she received from her compatriot and tennis icon Serena Williams following her historic triumph in Melbourne.

Keys entered the final at Rod Laver Arena as the underdog against Aryna Sabalenka but took control early, winning the first set 6-3. Sabalenka responded emphatically, dominating the second set 6-2. However, the American proved too strong in the decider, securing a 7-5 victory to deny her opponent a third consecutive Australian Open title.

While she has given numerous interviews following her Australian Open victory, she recently participated in an engaging session with 'Threads' titled 'Mini Room Big Questions.' The 29-year-old also revealed a brief yet laudatory message she received from 23-time Major champion Serena Williams.

"Really nice message that I got was from Serena Williams. She is someone that I've played many times and to have someone who's such a great in the sport, reaching out and saying, "Good Job" meant the world to me," Keys said.

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Madison Keys entered the Australian Open as the 17th seed and battled through a challenging draw to reach the final. She defeated Ann Li, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Danielle Collins, Elena Rybakina, and Elina Svitolina before overcoming Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. Her triumph in Melbourne lifted her ranking from World No. 14 to No. 7.

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"From a pretty young age, I felt like if I never won a Grand Slam, then...": Madison Keys after Australian Open win

In Picture: Madison Keys at 2025 Australian Open Women's Champion Media Opportunity - Image Source: Getty

Following her triumph in Melbourne, Madison Keys talked about feeling pressurized from a young age, thinking that she wouldn’t meet others’ expectations if she didn’t win a Grand Slam.

“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. It definitely started pretty young. Probably 11, 12, something like that," she said (via Tennis Channel).

Furthermore, she mentioned that after one point, she accepted that not winning a Grand Slam wouldn't define her career and no longer felt the need for it to prove her worth as a great player.

“I finally got to the point where I was OK if it didn’t happen,” she said. “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 2025 Australian Open final marked Keys' first since the 2017 US Open, where she fell to fellow American Sloane Stephens.