"He’d go to the grocery store and I’d be like, ‘You have cereal but no milk": Madison Keys hilariously looks back on 'living with' Frances Tiafoe during early days

Madison Keys continued her strong start at the Charleston Open with a straight-sets win over Ana Bondar, 6-2, 7-5, to book her place in the quarter-finals.

Fresh off court, and joking about how quickly she made it to the interview desk at the Charleston Open, Keys was in relaxed mood as she reflected on her performance, her weapons on clay, and the work that continues behind the scenes in her 17th year on tour.

“I want a timer on it next time, from match point or from finishing the on-court interview to being here,” she laughed. “I want to see how fast I can do it.”

Keys’ forehand remains one of the most feared shots on the WTA Tour, statistically generating the highest spin rate, though the American admits she doesn’t quite see it that way herself. “On clay, I naturally add a little bit more shape because I have more time,” she explained. “I also really like sliding into my forehand, and I feel like that gives me a better load, so it naturally has a bit more shape.

“It’s funny because I never actually believe that it’s that heavy or has that much spin. I was hitting with Maria Sakkari the other day and she said, ‘You hit with so much spin,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, but not that much.’ She told me I was insane, I still think it’s kind of flat.”

That weapon proved crucial against Bondar, particularly when Keys looked to take control of points early.

Facing a dangerous server, Keys knew she would have to take risks, and she did just that, particularly on the return. She’s such a good server, so I felt like I had to take a few chances when I had the opportunities,” she said. "On the ad side, she was getting me with so much width, and I felt like trying to go back crosscourt would have put me in a pretty bad position because her backhand is very, very good. So I took a bit more of a chance going up the line to set myself up to get my forehand, and luckily it worked.

“Sometimes those tactics are kind of suspect, but when they work, they work.”

Now deep into her career, Keys continues to emphasise the importance of physical preparation, particularly on demanding surfaces like clay.

“I’m spending a lot of hours in the gym doing all of the things that I can control,” she said. “Clay is a little bit heavier, and you’re not on a super stable surface, so it’s a lot of work.

“For me, it’s about flexibility but also making sure my body is really stable, doing all the small things that keep everything together. Strength is really important as well because it can play heavy, so you need to be able to keep hitting over and over again while staying healthy.”

Managing past injuries remains a key focus. “I’ve had an on-and-off shoulder issue my entire career, so I always focus on that. I’ve also had two wrist surgeries, so I stay on top of that.

“For clay, it’s a lot about hips, ankles, and adductors, making sure everything is ready for sliding and unstable positions. It’s probably about an hour to an hour and a half a day of all the little things you can control.”

Away from competition, Keys offered a glimpse into her training base in Orlando, and some light-hearted memories involving Frances Tiafoe.

“Frances just lived in the same apartment building, it just felt like he lived with me because he’s Frances,” she smiled.

“I would get FaceTimes where the camera was just pointed at the washing machine and he’d be like, ‘Which buttons do I press?’

“At the time he didn’t drive, so I’d be like, ‘I need to go to practice,’ and he’d show up late, so I’d just leave without him. Or he’d go to the grocery store and I’d be like, ‘You have cereal but no milk.’”

Keys also trains alongside rising talents such as Iva Jovic and the Penickova sisters, as well as a number of male players.

“It’s been really fun to have such great young Americans to train with,” she said. “Having people around working really hard creates great energy and makes the job a lot easier.”

The interview also revisited a long-standing story involving close friend Alison Riske-Amritraj, who once crashed Keys’ car. “Well, the fact that there was food involved, I was like, that makes sense. That definitely tracks for Ali,” Keys joked.

“It was my first car, an absolute beater worth about $8,000. She called me devastated and I told her, ‘I promise you, it doesn’t matter, it’s going to be okay.’ That car already had a lot of issues, so when she said she crashed it, I was like, ‘Ali, it was already very broken.’”

Riske-Amritraj later reflected, “They were some of my favourite memories. The best part of my USTA days was getting to be with Maddie.”

Keys has also embraced a mentoring role within American tennis, even influencing style trends. “After I won the Australian Open last year, a lot of the younger girls at the USTA started wearing hats because of me,” she said. “I was like, ‘I influenced Gen Z,’ which was a huge win.”

Off the court, her podcast continues to grow, though she admits she’s not the one making the booking decisions.

“I don’t actually really get to decide who’s on the podcast, Jessica Pegula is usually in charge of that,” she said. “But I think it would be fun to branch out beyond players.”

Recent guest Alex Eala left a strong impression. "She kept saying she’s an introvert and shy, which is funny because she’s so good on camera,” Keys said. “She gave amazing answers and I was like, ‘I don’t know if you’re an introvert.’”

Next up for Keys is a quarter-final showdown with Belinda Bencic, a familiar and dangerous opponent. “It’s going to be a tough, tough match. She’s playing some absolutely fantastic tennis,” Keys said.

“I feel like it doesn’t really matter what surface we’re on, Belinda is going to play her game, and she’s so dangerous when she’s doing that. I imagine she’s going to be taking the ball quite early, so I’m probably going to be doing some running, but I’m looking forward to it.”