“Do you realize how weird this is?”: Madison Keys details the uncomfortable fan moment she’ll never forget

In a revealing new episode of "The Player's Box," hosts Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady, Desirae Krawczyk, and Madison Keys engaged in a sobering discussion about player safety and the erosion of personal boundaries. Stalker cases have abounded when it comes to athletes, and this time it was the 2025 Australian Open champion who revealed an episode she experienced at a hotel with a female fan.

The conversation began when Madison Keys mentioned the viral clip involving NHL prodigy Connor Bedard declining an autograph request from a man clearly looking to sell signed memorabilia. Keys related deeply to the situation and framed it as a moment every athlete understands, especially when someone persistent refuses to respect personal space.

Keys admitted that moments like these hit close to home, noting how often players are approached in similar situations. She set the tone early by admitting she felt empathetic toward Bedard’s reaction: “He was like walking back from dinner, just with like a couple people or something like that, like casually walking, and the guy was like really bugging him.”

Jessica Pegula immediately connected with the situation, saying it reminded her of a recurring trend at certain tournaments where the same autograph hunters appear day after day. She explained that she typically tries to be polite while still gauging the person’s intentions, but the dynamic becomes awkward once it’s clear they are collecting signatures to sell.

The 2024 US Open runner-up described how she handles those moments by disarming them with humor: “I usually ask, because it’s like, it’s obviously at that point, it’s usually especially at like specific tournaments. It’s the same three people over and over and over again, and they’ll literally whip out a whole book… and I was like, well, if you do sell them, I feel like since it’s my face, like, I kind of want to get paid for it. Commission.”

Doubles specialist Desirae Krawczyk added her own twist, pointing out how persistent some of these collectors can be. “You take the photo, the next day they come back, it’s printed. And they’re like, can you sign it? And I’m like, whoa.” To her, it’s not only repetitive but also a little absurd, especially when the same picture resurfaces year after year.

Pegula then shifted the conversation toward a more uncomfortable reality: the constant presence of autograph seekers outside players’ hotels. She said some players even switch hotels to avoid being surrounded and pressured the moment they step outside. “There have been fans at specific tournaments… that they are just hovering outside the hotel, and it’s just like, you can’t even walk out of the hotel.”

Madison Keys returned to the topic by stressing that most players are usually happy to sign, but everything changes when their personal space and safety feel compromised. She recalled moments when people physically crowded her while she tried to enter a car, sometimes even throwing objects at her in attempts to get signatures. ”There's places sometimes where people will literally throw things at you to sign them.”

“Or, yeah, like one time in a hotel, a woman followed me to my room,” the world No. 7 added. “And I turned around and was like, what the hell? And she was like, 'Yeah, can you sign this?' And I was like, ‘Okay, but do you realize how weird this is?’”

“Like, that was... it's kind of for me, it's more when it gets like a step too far. And yeah, it's like they kind of lose... kind of the sight of you're still a person that [has] your boundaries.”

Former Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady echoed the sentiment, saying she generally enjoys signing autographs but has clear limits—especially with professional collectors who carry stacks of photos. “Sometimes you see them, they come back around and they try to get you to sign another one, or they'll give it to another guy—because there's usually like a group of them—all trying to get autographs and to sell them.”

Krawczyk then brought a gendered perspective that added weight to the discussion. “I think from a female perspective, especially the boundaries thing gets really weird because they tend to always be older men and it’s just a little creepy,” she said.

“I feel like it's, it's a boundaries thing for me,” replied Madison Keys. “Like when it's, they forget that you're human and that, yeah. Following you to, in the elevator into your hotel room is totally crossing a line. And then when that happens, it kind of ruins your want to do it again.”