“It’s a title I’m getting used to” – Keys adjusting to tour life as a new Grand Slam champion
The American clinched her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January
Madison Keys, Australian Open, 2025 MadiPsnewz / Psnewz
It feels an oddly long time ago since Madison Keys so superbly won her maiden Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open.
Indeed, it is now almost exactly six weeks since the American’s Melbourne triumph. Despite the time that has elapsed, and the relentless march of tour life in this sport, Keys is only just making her first competitive appearance on the tennis court since her exploits in Australia.
After a lingering leg injury kept her out of the Middle East swing, Keys is back in her native homeland for the first instalment of the prestigious ‘Sunshine Double’ as she competes in Indian Wells this week.
It was therefore only as she stepped out to face Anastasia Potapova in the second round in California that Keys got her very first taste of being introduced on court as a reigning Grand Slam champion – something that Keys admitted after the match is still taking some getting used to.
“It’s a title I’m getting used to and very happy to be associated with,” Keys told reporters with a smile at her post-match press conference after emphatically dispatching the Russian 6-3, 6-0.
“It’s still something I’m getting used to it a little bit, but definitely a good position to be in.”
rest and recuperation for keys after australian open triumph
One of the big questions swirling around the media rooms in the wake of Keys’ stunning arrival as an official heavyweight of the sport was how she would react to her new reality.
Becoming a Grand Slam champion affects players in very different ways. Some realise it is the pinnacle of their career, struggling to rediscover the same intensity and motivation they had before, while others get a taste for a glory they wish to replicate as many times as possible.
Some players hurl themselves straight back into action, confining their achievement to the back of their minds to be enjoyed when they retire from the sport as they seek the path to their next great accomplishment.
Others take time to reflect, rest and recuperate after such a redefining victory, requiring a step back to fully digest the enormity of what they’ve achieved.
So what about Madison?
“Yeah, there was probably three or four days where I didn’t really leave the house, kind of just laid on the couch, was kind of just doing bare minimum, grocery shopping, and then that was kind of the outing of the day,” Keys revealed.
“I mean, obviously physically it was a lot, but it’s just also mentally and emotionally it’s a lot. Being able to kind of just have some days at home and not have to do anything and just be horizontal was really nice.”
keys returns with new status of grand slam champion
Despite the understandable need for some downtime after a momentous title, Keys did travel to Doha with the intention of getting straight back into competitive action before a leg injury she’d been carrying in Australia derailed those plans.
Fully fit again, rested and now having experienced her first match back after becoming a new Grand Slam champion, Keys is beginning to adjust to the unfamiliar feeling of the mantle she now carries.
“I think there is obviously a little bit of extra nerves, and that’s just kind of the reality of the situation right now,” she continued.
“But I think, being honest with myself and just knowing that that’s going to be there, I was able to expect it and kind of know how to navigate that.
“But, I mean, I think a day like today, after I was able to get off to a good start and then lose a few games in a row, I think once I was able to kind of level the score back, I kind of just settled in and felt a little bit more comfortable out there.
“So in that respect, it’s definitely, I feel like I’m kind of learning a little bit more about myself and how to handle some situations, which is great, but I think in the big picture, there are still days where things might not be great or perfect, and there are also days where other people might just beat you.”
Losses will inevitably come. But Keys is currently enjoying a 13-match winning streak that stretches all the way back to her title in Adelaide of the start of the year.
If there were nerves on her return, as Keys admitted there were, then they certainly didn’t show as she returned to action to dismantle a highly dangerous opponent in the Californian desert.
Next up for the American will be Belgian Elise Mertens, as the Australian Open champion looks to extend her winning run and solidify her new found status as one of tennis’ leading players.
So far, the early signs are looking good.
