"They let their 10-year-old dictate" - Madison Keys calls her parents being 'insane' for 'uprooting their lives' to support her tennis dreams

Madison Keys affectionately referred to her parents, Rick and Christine Keys, as "insane" for uprooting their lives to support her tennis dreams when she was young. Keys' mother, Christine, along with her younger sisters Montana and Hunter, relocated to Boca Raton, Florida so that she could attend the Evert Tennis Academy.

Most recently, Keys won her maiden Grand Slam at the 2025 Australian Open by defeating the two-time defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Prior to this milestone, her best Grand Slam result was finishing as the runner-up at the 2017 US Open, where she missed out on claiming the title after losing to fellow American Sloane Stephens in the final.

During an episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast following her Australian Open win, Madison Keys reflected on her parents' sacrifices which had enabled her to pursue her tennis dreams.

Keys jokingly expressed that her parents were "insane" for making the bold decision to leave their stable jobs as attorneys in Rock Island, Illinois, to move to Florida after a 10-year-old Keys expressed her passion for tennis.

“I think in the moment you kind of just think okay like I'll just go along with this because I mean I was 10 so I had no concept of the big picture of what was actually happening. As I've gotten older, the more I've come to think that my parents are insane that they let their 10-year-old just like dictate everyone's life," Keys said [1:46:51].

The World No.7 expressed that her parents' support for her desire to become a professional tennis player when she was just 14 years old is something she still cannot wrap her head around.

“They were like sure, she said she wants to be a professional tennis player let's just uproot our whole lives and let's go. I don't know who let me as a 14-year-old decide like, 'Yeah I'm going to go pro'. So to have parents that just fully supported that and believed in me in a way, it's hard for me to wrap my brain around," she continued [1:47:14].

Madison Keys also conveyed her deep gratitude towards Rick and Christine for their "trust" and "sacrifices" that allowed her to chase her tennis dreams .

“I wouldn't be here without them and the sacrifices that they made and like I said in some ways insane trust that they put in me and even the support of Evert Tennis Academy, I needed a scholarship in order to continue going there," Madison Keys said [1:47:52].

Madison Keys revealed that her emotional reaction to winning the 2025 Australian Open was a result of the immense sacrifices and support provided by her parents and others throughout her career .

“So I mean there's just been so many levels of people that have believed in me and helped me out and made sacrifices and I think that's why I think that's part of why I was so emotional with the win just because it really felt like there had to be so many things that went right for it to all happen and for me to be, even be in that position," she added [1:48:16].

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A look into Madison keys' winning run at Australian Open 2025

Madison Keys with the 2025 Australian Open trophy [Image Source: Getty Images]

Madison Keys was the 19th seed at the 2025 Australian Open and she kicked off her campaign by defeating compatriot Ann Li 6-4, 7-5 in the first round and then overcame qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse 7-6(1), 2-6, 7-5 in the second round.

Keys registered a 6-4, 6-4 victory over 10th seed Danielle Collins and triumphed over sixth seed Elena Rybakina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

In the quarterfinals, the World No.7 faced off against the 28th seed Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and then advanced to the semifinals, where she secured a hard-fought victory against Iga Swiatek with a score of 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(8).

In the final, Madison Keys defeated top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to win her maiden Grand Slam trophy.