"I always believed I could lift the trophy": Madison Keys on winning her first Grand Slam

Recent Australian Open champion Madison Keys sat down for an interview with CBS Morning, where she reflected on her emotions after winning her first Grand Slam title by defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

The American, who entered the tournament as the 14th seed, shocked the tennis world by taking down top opponents such as Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina, and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek – saving a match point in the process. Keys admitted that she is still struggling to fully process her victory just days after her incredible run in Melbourne.

Read also

Who emerged from Women's Australian Open 2025 with most credit?

"I feel like I haven't stopped moving to settle into this new place and fully accept it," she said. "These last 48 hours have been crazy, but I am tremendously happy to finally have one of these trophies with me."

"Looking at the draw I had, it was really tough, but I felt that with each passing round, I gained more and more confidence. I don’t know what kind of twist my mind took, but suddenly I felt I could beat anyone. Seriously, I always believed I could make it to Saturday and lift the trophy.”

Keys played her first Grand Slam final at the 2017 US Open, suffering a disappointing 0-6, 3-6 defeat against her close friend Sloane Stephens. More than seven years later, she returned to a major final—despite not being among the favourites—and became the player with the longest gap between their first and second Grand Slam final. “It feels amazing, and I’m very glad that it happened this way.”

"When I was younger, I had the feeling that I had to win one so I wouldn’t be called a failure. I had lots of doubts, so I wanted to win one. I had to do a lot of work to get past that. I had to do a lot of therapy.”

Read also

Who emerged from Women's Australian Open 2025 with most credit?

"It was surprising to me to see some of the things that were coming up that I said previously. So I couldn’t believe that I had such belief back in the day. However, looking back at those things gave me the belief on the court. I was so proud of my career already, and I didn’t need to win a Grand Slam to validate that.”

Keys has now climbed to world No. 7, matching her career-best ranking. Her only commitment during the Middle East swing will be the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where she is the seventh seed starting on 17 February. She has opted to skip the WTA 1000 Doha event, which begins on 10 February.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Unlock your ultimate tennis experience—subscribe today for exclusive access to top stories.

Subscribe