Madison Keys’ professional tennis career, which began on her 14th birthday in February 2009, saw a delayed but impactful breakthrough. While she reached the 2017 US Open final and the 2018 French Open semifinals, those near-misses created a ‘mental block’ that weighed heavily on her. However, her recent Australian Open triumph has seemingly lifted that burden, fueling a 16-match winning streak and sparking a surge in confidence. The question now is: If not solely her husband’s coaching, where else is she drawing this surge of confidence from?
Currently in Indian Wells, Keys is riding high for being unbeatable for 16 straight matches since losing the ASB Classic quarterfinals on January 3rd. Just yesterday, in her fourth quarterfinals appearance this season, she beat the Swiss star, Belinda Bencic 6-1,6-1, in mere 65 minutes. Shortly after securing her spot in the maiden Indian Wells’ SF, during the post-match press conference, she was asked if she has “ever felt this confident before on a tennis court?”
In response, Madison Keys admitted “probably not” before adding, “I think the reality of winning as many matches as I have this early in a season hasn’t ever really happened for me. So, I think there is definitely a lot of just kind of confidence from all those wins under your belt. I think it kind of gives me the confidence to, in really tight situations, just continue to go for kind of whatever I want to.“
For the record, the American’s 16 consecutive match wins are the second-most wins in a row for a player 30 years or older since 2000. Has there been a shift in her mental or tactical approach this year compared to five years ago? In response to a related inquiry, she attributed her current success to increased maturity, stating, “All of those kind of years of struggle and ups and downs just kind of led me to this point.”
Not letting up @Madison_Keys takes out Bencic with an impeccable performance 6-1, 6-1 to reach the Indian Wells semis for the first time! #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/JOMFY7at5L
— wta (@WTA) March 13, 2025
Madison Keys’ impressive season includes two titles: a hard-fought victory over Jessica Pegula at the Adelaide International and a significant win against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final. Her Australian Open victory was hard-won, a ‘rollercoaster’ of emotions marked by ‘a lot of anxiety’ and mental strain. To manage the pressure, she frequently consulted her therapist, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, before crucial matches. Her husband and coach, Bjorn Fratangelo, provided unwavering support, combining rigorous training with emotional comfort. Her physical therapist, Fujimoto Epperson, and teammate, Reshard Langford (former NFL player), also played vital roles in ensuring her physical readiness.
While talking about Langford and his team’s enormous contributions, Madison Keys admitted, “I’m incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing people who challenge me both physically and mentally while also pushing me to embrace my most vulnerable self.” So, her success was more of a teamwork than anything else.
After seeing her incredible run, fans may wonder whether Madison Keys has forgotten what it feels like to lose.
Does Madison Keys still remember quite well what it feels like to lose, or she just forgets it after a while?
Madison Keys has been literally unstoppable this year! She is now the fourth player to reach their first Indian Wells Open SF after the age of 30, joining the likes of Elena Vesnina (2017), Flavia Pennetta (2014), and Martina Navratilova (1990). Interestingly, all three of these players went on to win the titles later on. Can Keys follow their path and bring home her third title of the season? Before that happens, she has a challenge waiting for her!
Keys is all set to face Aryna Sabalenka in the SF of this tournament. Although Sabalenka has a 4-2 lead in their H2H record, Madison Keys defeated her in their previous encounter in the final of the 2025 AO. Sabalenka is entering this match after demolishing her opponent, Liudmila Samsonova, in the QF by 6-2,6-3 in just 1 hour and 24 minutes. How excited is the Belarusian for this match? Is she seeking revenge on the American?
“I’m really excited. I really hope I can do a little bit better than I did in Australia…. [The final] only coming to my mind as motivation to get back that revenge. It was a tough match. She played great there. I didn’t play my best, and I’m really happy that tomorrow I will have opportunity to get this revenge back,” said Sabalenka. What about Madison Keys? Is she hungry enough, like the ‘Tigress’ to win this epic duel or has she become bored with winning?
“I am not at all bored of winning, because you still remember what it feels like to lose. It’s probably something you will never forget. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a long winning streak, but obviously, I would like it to be even longer,” said Keys. Sabalenka’s dominance on hard courts is undeniable, as evidenced by her consecutive Australian Open titles. However, with the momentum from defeating Sabalenka and preventing her Australian Open three-peat, can Keys now extend her winning streak to 17 matches?
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