Madison Keys opened up about her charity - Kindness Wins - following her Australian Open quarterfinal victory over Elina Svitolina. The American tennis star shared that her inspiration for the initiative stems from her desire to provide as many children as possible an opportunity to play tennis.
On Wednesday, January 22, Keys played in her fourth Australian Open quarterfinals and took on Svitolina. The American led the head-to-head 3-2 going into the match and extended her lead with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.
During her post-match interview, Keys was asked about 'Kindness Wins,' the charity organization she founded. She claimed that as tennis is not the most accessible sport, she hopes to provide kids with the opportunity to play and experience the benefits of the game through her organization.
"I felt like tennis has just brought so much opportunity to my life, and I felt like I wanted to be able to give that to as many people as possible. Tennis isn't the most accessible sport, so, I wanted to try to get equipment, new balls, or new courts and just give as many kids the opportunity to play tennis as possible," Madison Keys said.
"I think it opens a lot of doors, and I think it builds a lot of really great characteristics. I think the more kids playing tennis, the better. So that's kind of my goal," she added.
Kindness Wins, founded by Keys in 2020, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "promoting kindness to youth, kindness to self, and kindness to others in times of struggle."
When Madison Keys opened up about the impact her grandmother and mother have had on her which led to her finding 'Kindness Wins'
In 2022, in a telephonic interview with Glorious, Madison Keys revealed that her grandmother, Bertha, and mother, Christine, played a huge role in inducing kindness in her life.
"When I grew up my grandma always used to say, ‘Treat people like you want to be treated’ and that always stuck with me," Keys said. "And my mom always would say, ‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.’"
Keys will take on World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open on Thursday, January 23. This will be the sixth battle between the pair on tour, with Swiatek currently leading their head-to-head 4-1.