“I spent the night at her house multiple times”: Taylor Townsend admits being ‘almost in tears’ after Madison Keys’ emotional Australian Open victory

Taylor Townsend drew inspiration from her friend after being 'almost in tears' watching Madison Keys win the Australian Open. Following Keys’ remarkable victory on Saturday in the women’s final against Aryna Sabalenka, where she secured her first major title, Townsend took to the court on Sunday to fight for the doubles title.

Townsend partnered with doubles world No. 1 Katerina Siniakova, with whom she had already claimed the 2024 Wimbledon title. In a hard-fought match, they defeated the third seeds, Jelena Ostapenko and Su-Wei Hsieh, 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3. It marked Townsend’s second major title and the 10th for Siniakova.

After the victory, Townsend revealed she had watched the singles final rooting for Keys and was 'almost in tears' after her friend’s triumph. The Atlanta-born player spoke about her strong bond with Keys, sharing that she even spent nights at Keys’ house while training at the USTA in Orlando.

“I was spending every weekend at Madison’s house. I was spending the night at her house multiple times,” Townsend said, joking, “She introduced me to country music and took me through a country phase.”

“I can’t even put into words how happy I am for her,” she continued. “You know, the first is always so great, and it’s like kind of a relief. She’s been close before, and I can attest to that feeling in doubles… Getting over the hump is getting over the hump no matter what.”

In 2022, shortly after Townsend’s return to the tour following a maternity break, she teamed up with Keys in the doubles draw at Roland Garros. However, they fell in the semifinals to the eighth seeds, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. Townsend also recalled moments of supporting Keys last year when she suffered an injury at Wimbledon and couldn’t finish her match against Jasmine Paolini in the round of 16.

“When she hurt herself and had to pull out, and I saw her in the locker room, and I just hugged her. She cried on my shoulder, and I’m, like, It’s going to be OK, it’s going to be OK,” Townsend said. “It’s times in those moments where you don’t know what’s going to happen, and she thought she tore a hamstring, and it was just a lot of uncertainty. So for me, as a friend, I’m just so genuinely happy because you see people overcome certain things, and you see people go through things.

“To know that they put their head down and just work, and you just hope for the best. I just can’t even put into words how happy I am, and it inspired me. I look at Madison and all the things that she’s been through.”

The doubles world No. 3 also reflected on Madison Keys’ previous major final nearly eight years ago at the 2017 US Open, when Sloane Stephens won decisively 6-0, 6-3 to claim her first major title, leaving Keys empty-handed.

“When she played Sloane in 2017, it was two women of colour in the finals that weren’t Venus and Serena. Even her being a woman of colour winning here, and me as well, I just think that it’s so inspiring,” Townsend added. “To be able to have little girls and boys looking at us, this is history in the making. I think it’s something so special.”