Madison Keys believes her “years of struggle” have made her a more mature player this season

Madison Keys is on a 16-match unbeaten run this season and is into the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.

Madison Keys believes her “years of struggle” have made her a more mature player this season

Madison Keys (via Instagram)

Madison Keys has been the standout player of the season but nobody saw that coming before 2025. The 30-year-old had tried on several occasions to match her expectations until she suddenly stunned the world at the first Grand Slam, the Australian Open. She has revealed that she believes she’s reaping the fruits of her years of struggle.

Keys spent much of the 2024 season in the Top 30. In fact, her first title last season was at the Internationaux de Strasbourg in France. But this season, she has been playing extraordinary. The big server didn’t do well in her first tournament after losing to Clara Tauson in the quarterfinals of the Auckland Classics.

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Then, in her second tournament, she went unbeaten en route to winning the Adelaide Open title after beating Jessica Pegula in the final. At the Australian Open, she wasn’t among the Top 5 favorites, but she surprised fans by beating three Grand Slam champions (Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina) to win the title.

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She was away for the entirety of the Middle East swing due to a hamstring injury. Nonetheless, she returned to the court in Indian Wells and has played her best tennis. Apart from the two three-set wins over Elise Martens and Donna Vekic, she has beaten her other opponents in straight sets.

On Thursday (March 15), Keys extended her winning streak to 16 matches after beating Belinda Bencic 6-1, 6-1 in an hour and four minutes. Bencic, who had defeated Coco Gauff in the fourth round didn’t have any answer to Keys’ powerful display from the baseline in their quarterfinals match in Indian Wells. The American believes that she’s finally reaping the years of her struggle on the court.

I think it was largely about maturing and accepting my situation as a tennis player. I always think that everything happens for a reason, so I believe you have to go through your own personal journey to get where you want to be. All those years of struggle and ups and downs have brought me to this point.

Madison Keys said via Indian Wells Press

Keys will now take on Sabalenka in the semifinals of Indian Wells. The former recently defeated the World No.1 at the Australian Open and will be hoping to continue with her good form this season.

Madison Keys says winning has given her more confidence on the court

Madison Keys’ unprecedented rise this season has seen her break into the Top 10 and currently seats as World No.5. Also, out of the three tournaments she has competed in this year, she has already won two of them. She’s now on course to win her third title in Indian Wells, which is her fourth tournament of 2025.

Madison Keys
Madison Keys (Image via X)

However, the success of Keys is largely based on her self-confidence on the court. The big server has always used her aggressive forehand to outmaneuver her opponents, but this season she took a giant step in that regard and has been a better player.

Probably not. I think the reality of winning as many matches as I have won so early in the season has never happened to me before, so I think there is a lot of self-confidence because of all those victories you have under your belt. I think it gives me the confidence to, in really tough situations, keep doing what I want to do.

Madison Keys said

Keys has endured adversity with nearly every step of her career this season. She earned her 10th three-sets match against Donna Vekic in the fourth round of Indian Wells. In fact, she’s undefeated in deciding sets this season.