Madison Keys Says Smart Routines Helped Her Win Her First Grand Slam

Just three weeks before her 30th birthday, American tennis star Madison Keys nabbed the 2025 Australian Open singles title, and her first Grand Slam win. On January 26, 2025, Keys won her first Australian Open by knocking off world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

However, her route to the top of the tournament was no easy task. To get to the final, Keys also had to defeat world No. 2 player Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals, plus No. 6 Elena Rybakina in the Round of 16, and also No. 10 Danielle Collins.

“I know it would have been daunting had I seen the way I would get to the final,” Keys said about having to tackle Collins, Rybakina, and Iga, en route to her big win. “For whatever reason, I was able to just play each round and each player as they came.”

In besting the world No. 1 and winning at Melbourne, Keys won over $2.2 million in prize money along with 2000 WTA ranking points, while also pulling off her second singles title, amidst climbing up the WTA rankings.

Keys is currently ranked as a WTA singles player at No. 6, as she awaits her first round of play at the 2025 US Open. While Keys feels that she has begun to hit her stride, she knows that her first Grand Slam was a long time coming. She explained during our interview on Monday that she made important adjustments both to her game and practice regimens last December.

“I had two weeks off at the end of the year (in 2024), and that gave me more time on the court.” Keys said that in order to prepare for 2025, she focused on fine-tuning her game ahead of the Australian Open. “I had the time to truly practice and work on things. Most times, you have a short window of five or six days between tournaments, and you’re not really able to get the repetition you need in practice.”

Nearly two months after her Aussie Open win, Keys again faced Sabalenka in the final at Indian Wells, March 16, during the BNP Paribas Open. In that contest, Keys took lost to Sabalenka.

“Aryna (Sabalenka) is someone who hits hard, and that’s just one dimension (of her play.) But it’s interesting to watch how many variables she is able to throw into her game, with the drop shots and getting to the net more.”

Logging a second-place finish against WTA’s No. 1-ranked player at Indian Wells also bolstered Keys’ ascent up the rankings. But Keys said that facing other accomplished world-class players like Sabalenka and Swiatek, while difficult, can help improve one’s game.

“Serena Williams was by far the most difficult match I’ve ever played,” Keys admits. She says she last played Williams in 2016. “It was so difficult because I knew I was playing very good tennis, yet she always had a response that was next-level. With Serena, I was always trying to play catch-up.”

Keys has seen a resurgence in her tennis career over the past few years, highlighted by significant victories and deep runs in major tournaments. After a few challenging seasons, 2022 marked a first turning point with her first title in over two years at Adelaide and a semifinal appearance at the Australian Open, her best Grand Slam showing since 2018.

In 2023, she continued her upward trajectory by winning the Eastbourne title and making a run to the US Open semifinals. Her 2023 momentum carried into last year with a title in Strasbourg, and solid quarterfinal and semifinal appearances at other WTA events.

Keys’ career certainly hit its high point this past year, with her big win at the Australian Open. But she’s excited for this month’s US Open, and the opportunities the tournament presents.

“As an American, it’s hard for the US Open not to be your favorite. There’s so much fan support there,” Keys said. “The fans are so loud at Ashe Stadium that sometimes you can’t hear the ball.”

Yet, Keys said that the Australian Open is special, too.

“I really love the Australian Open, even before this year. I had my first semi-final run there, many years ago. So both tournaments are my favorite.”

A fan favorite with marketing power

Keys has several endorsements and partnerships, including one with Brilliant Earth, a sustainable jewelry brand, where she is their first athlete ambassador. She also has long-standing relationships with sportswear megabrand Nike, as well as Evian, Acuvue, and Orangetheory Fitness.

Keys also recently switched her racket to the Yonex Ezone98, claiming she “fell in love pretty quickly” with her new racket’s design, touting its impact during her recent Grand Slam win.

Just the same, Keys doesn’t deny the fact that in addition to fine-tuning her game, she’s made small adjustments to her health routines, from everything to what she eats to rest and sleep hygiene.

Related story: Genie Bouchard calls it a career at age 31

And as the tennis world turns its attention to the U.S. Open this month, Keys picked up a new partnership with Breathe Right nasal strips, with the brand announcing its partnership on Instagram Tuesday.

During our Zoom interview, Keys talked about her nightly routines and the importance of sleep for professional athletes like herself.

“I always think sleep is so important for everyone; you notice when you’ve missed a few hours of sleep the next day,” Keys said. “My decision-making feels a little slower, and everything feels a little fuzzy.”

Keys explained that being a pro tennis player involves making quick decisions that can be the difference between winning and losing a match. She said that the partnership with Breathe Right came as a result of her stumbling across a solution for seasonal allergies and lost sleep about four years ago.

“I was suffering from allergies during a tournament, and for the life of me, just could not breathe.” Keys added: “I ended up going to the store and getting Breathe Right strips, and started wearing them, and noticed I started breathing so much better.”

“Even after I was feeling better, I thought, why would I not want to breathe better? So, it just came down to doing all of the things I can do that I can control that give me the best opportunity.”

Keys turned pro at age 14 in February 2009, and player her first WTA event at Ponte Vedra in April of that same year. Now that Keys has hit 30, she said that her routines, both personal and practice-related, are different from they were during earlier years. She said that now fitness and strength are so much more important in tennis.

“When I was first starting on the tour, I think there were big hitters and players who would serve up more variety in their play,” Keys said. “Now, everyone can hit hard.” As a result, Keys maintains a fitness routine off the court to strengthen her overall prowess as an athlete.

Keys also thinks that the increase in prize money has helped grow and evolve the women’s game.

“Prize money has grown very significantly. So, now a lot more players can afford teams of coaches, trainers, and biomechanical specialists. Even younger players have better resources to afford whoever can help them get stronger and faster in their game.”

Read Frye’s interviews with Venus Williams and Billie Jean King.

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