In a buzzing Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, Madison Keys claimed the first Grand Slam title of her long and sometimes difficult career on Jan 25. She embraced opponent Aryna Sabalenka at the net before turning to the crowd with a wide smile and a wave.
It was the second Grand Slam final of her career, after her run at the 2017 U.S. Open, where she fell to her compatriot Sloane Stephens. In that match, Keys, the No. 15-seed, went up against the unseeded Stephens, whereas in Australia seven-plus years later, she faced the No. 1 player in the world in Sabalenka, and this time was triumphant. Sabalenka was a two-time defending champion in Melbourne, searching for her fourth Slam victory of her career.
With Keys’ win down under, she rises to No. 7 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, tying her career-high she last reached in 2016. She first came on the scene when she turned pro at the age of 14 in 2009. In her WTA Tour debut, she bested her opponent Alla Kudryavtseva, who was ranked 81st in the world at the time. She followed this up by defeating Serena Williams in her second pro tournament. Since then, she has stuck around, despite battling injuries. Keys has reached at least the quarterfinals of every Slam tournament, and claimed 10 titles on the WTA tour, finding success on all tour surfaces.
In this special Australian Open run, Keys defeated four top-ten seeds en route to the title. Alongside Sabalenka in the final, Keys bested Iga Świątek, No. 2-seed and five-time Slam champion, in the semi-final. She also defeated Elena Rybakina, No. 6 seed and 2022 Wimbledon champion, in the fourth round, as well as No. 10 seed and compatriot Danielle Collins in the third round. Only one other woman in history has done this: the legendary Australian Evonne Goolagong at Wimbledon in 1980, who presented Keys with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup in Melbourne in a full-circle moment.
Keys has dealt with injuries for much of her career, especially in 2024. She did not compete in last year’s Australian Open due to a shoulder injury. Then an injury to her hamstring forced her to pull out of her fourth-round Wimbledon match, and she also skipped the Paris Olympics to recover for the U.S. Open. Considering her over-seven-year gap between major finals, and what she has gone through en route to this first major, Keys’ story is one that many can and should look to for inspiration in the face of adversity.
In terms of the landscape for American women’s tennis, the future appears bright. Five American women are currently ranked in the top 15. This includes 20-year-old phenom Coco Gauff, who is ranked No. 3 in the world and claimed her first major at the 2023 U.S. Open. Emma Navarro, currently ranked world No. 9, won WTA’s Most Improved Player of the Year in 2024, and has already reached at least the fourth round in three of the four major tournaments at age 23. Jessica Pegula and Danielle Collins have made several appearances in late rounds of majors as well, each reaching one Slam final in their careers. There are other American women hanging around in the top 50-100 as well, including 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and world No. 39 Amanda Anisimova, also just 23 years old.
In the post-Serena Williams era of American women’s tennis, there are several names to keep an eye on. One of which, of course, is Keys, who hopefully can build on her title in Melbourne. So often we see players win one major and never make it back, or just make one major final in a miracle run and never return. Keys has shown that it is more than possible to make it back and reach the top, even with a seven-year gap in between.
