Former World No.9 predicts how Madison Keys will perform at Indian Wells as she returns to tennis after the Australian Open

Madison Keys hasn't played in any tournament since her Australian Open triumph due to a hamstring injury she sustained.

Former World No.9 predicts how Madison Keys will perform at Indian Wells as she returns to tennis after the Australian Open

Madison Keys (via X)

Madison Keys will be back on the court at the Indian Wells Open since her Australian Open triumph in January. The 30-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during the aforementioned event, which saw her miss the Middle East swing. Back to tennis in the California desert, she had been backed by former World No.9 Andrea Petkovic to win the title.

Keys’ memorable run at the Australian Open will never be forgotten soon. The American defeated four top 10 players en route to the title. Also, she stunned two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the final at the Rod Laver Arena to win her first career Grand Slam title. She then withdrew from the WTA 1000 events in Doha and Dubai due to a hamstring injury and also to prioritize rest.

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Despite not playing, Keys rose from World No.7 to World No. 5 in the WTA rankings. She’s now set to to play at the Indian Wells Open as the fifth seed in front of the home crowd. Following her Melbourne victory, all eyes will be on Keys Indian Wells. During a conversation, Andrea Petkovic reckoned that Keys will be dangerous if she scales through the second round of the WTA 1000 event.

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I honestly think if she gets through the first two rounds, she will be very dangerous. I do think for these type of players who hit the ball so hard in Indian Wells, the first two rounds are very difficult. The ball flies, and the thing that we all get wrong, all the professional tennis players in the world, you think you have to then decelerate, because the ball is flying, and you have to accelerate. And if she can figure that out in the first two rounds, she will be very dangerous at Indian Wells.

Andrea Petkovic said via Tennis Channel

Keys has only lost one match this season which was against Clara Tauson in the quarter-finals of the Auckland Classics. Since then, she has been on a run of 12 wins this season, her best start to the year in her career.

Madison Keys top favorite to win the Indian Wells Open title but her underwhelming record there speaks loud

Madison Keys is among the top favorites heading into the Indian Wells as she contends for the title. However, the American star’s record in the WTA 1000 tournament is not encouraging. She holds an underwhelming 10-11 record in the California desert, having just won 48% of her matches there.

Madison Keys (2)
Madison Keys (Image via WTA/X)

In fact, her best run in Indian Wells was reaching the quarterfinals in 2022, where she lost 1-6, 0-6 to eventual champion Iga Swiatek. Her second-best run was when she made it to the fourth round of the event back in 2017. Last year, she made it to the third round by beating Hailey Baptiste in a third set tiebreak.

She then lost to Yulia Putintseva in the next match in straight sets. She has enjoyed a good run at the Australian Open but her record in Indian Wells might prove to be the end of the story when the tournament starts on March 5. She will have to do more than she has ever done to win the title there.

Nonetheless, she has an advantage, as she’s set to compete as the fifth seed. This means she will receive an opening round bye and open her account in the second round. Perhaps a good opening round performance will set the tone for her victory.