"Honestly, probably like 12-and-under" - Reigning champion Madison Keys admits struggles against opponents unique technique

Madison Keys has commenced the defence of her Australian Open title after navigating past a tricky opponent in the form of Oleksandra Oliynykova 7-6(6), 6-1. It was not an easy match to be a part of, with her admitting she has not played someone with that technique since the age of 12.

The Ukrainian had multiple chances to take the first set, but a resilient Keys managed to fend her off, finding a spurt of form at the end of the first set before running away with it in the second as she looks to do the double at Melbourne Park.

"I think I obviously started a little slow today and was definitely nervous," she said in her press conference after the victory. "Full credit to her as well — she has a bit of an unconventional style, which made things extra tricky at the start. I felt like toward the end of the tiebreak I really found my game, and then I was able to carry that into the second set.

Keys was in real danger of losing the first set. After breaking back from a 6-5 deficit to force a tiebreaker, she was subsequently forced to save two ser points against the Ukrainian. She managed to complete this task, winning four on the spin to take the set for herself.

"At that point, I felt like I was playing a little too passive and timid and not really taking advantage when I could," she admitted. "When I’m playing my best tennis, when I see opportunities, I go for it. When I went down 6–4, I felt like I had at least played the right point. If I lose points playing that way, I’m fine with it. From there, it kind of changed the momentum for me. After that, I just trusted myself and went for my shots."

A large part for her struggles came with how Oliynykova played with her 'moonballing' technique. This saw her regularly hit the ball very high and deep, forcing Keys back past the baseline with some complex returns to regularly deal with.

"Honestly, probably like 12-and-under," Keys said when asked when someone played like that against her last. "That’s obviously no disrespect to her at all — it’s just been a really long time since I’ve played someone with that style. She does it so effectively. I wasn’t able to watch a ton of her beforehand, and there wasn’t much I could find online, so it was kind of deceiving. Those balls are so high and so deep. It was really hard to take a swing volley or take it early off the bounce because she hits such a good ball. I really had to wait for the right opportunities. I was genuinely impressed with how well she hits that shot."

In the end, she managed to up the level in the firts==st set to prevent her from going behind. "At the start, I felt like I was playing a little timid and not trusting my first instinct. I kept changing my mind about what I wanted to do, and that really slowed my footwork," she commented. "I felt like I was reacting instead of having a clear plan. I think once I got that first game — even being down — I relaxed a little. I was thinking clearly enough to understand what I was doing and what I needed to fix. From that moment, I slowly pieced things together, and the end of the tiebreak really solidified things."

Keys skipped a large chunk of the Asian swing, not coming back till a premature campaign in the WTA Finals. She opened up on her absence. "It was more physical. I just hadn’t been able to be 100 percent healthy toward the end of the season. There was always something nagging, and when things got tough, I really wanted to be able to play feeling good. So the focus was getting back to feeling physically right. Unfortunately, I got sick at the end of the year, but being able to regroup and get as physically fit and ready as possible was really important."

Instead of competing on court, the American used it as a time to get back into the best shape possible. "It was more about actually having time to rehab things," she explained. "The season gets pretty long, and it’s hard to find time to maintain strength, fitness, and everything that needs to be working the right way. I felt like the season kind of got away from me, and I wasn’t able to find those blocks of time that I needed."

Despite all the preparation, the job still needs to be done on court, and there is no place more event more under pressure than defending a Grand Slam. "I don’t think it all goes out the window. No matter how you think it’s going to be or how you prepare, at least you know you’ve done your part to be ready for the occasion," she stated. "But once they say 'ready, play,' it all hits you in a way that’s really hard to explain. As nerve-wracking and stressful as it can be, I keep reminding myself how few people get to be in that moment. Walking out today and having the crowd be as welcoming as they were — I’ll take the stress any day."

The top players on the ATP and WTA Tours have been regularly queried about the ongoing prize money debacle at Grand Slams. While Keys is also in on this, she has singled out another area that needs to be prioritised, ahead of prize money.

"From my standpoint, I’m more concerned about wanting the Slams to put money toward player welfare. The tours already do a lot with healthcare, pensions, and things like that. At the end of the day, we’re all partners and we all need each other. I’d really like to see the Slams put their share toward player welfare first and foremost. I would also like to see it go toward prize money, but player welfare would be my priority."