Madison Keys, ten years later
In 2015, at the age of nineteen, Madison Keys played the first Grand Slam semi-final of her career – in Melbourne – and a first quarter at Wimbledon. The start of a long career during which she won nine trophies. Moreover, the last one dates back to January 11, in Auckland. “The era of tennis right now is truly exceptional because you can be in your thirties and still play your best tennis.,” said the American after her victory in the quarter-finals against Elina Svitolina (3/6, 6/3, 6/4 in 1h53). An opponent who, at thirty years old and after a “pregnancy break” also finds her best level.Elina played extremely well today, we already played against each other when we were juniors and we became pros at the same time, quite young“.
But, don’t get me wrong. The one who qualified for the seventh semi-final of her Grand Slam career, the third in Melbourne, is not nostalgic. She appreciates her longevity, that of her rivals, and puts her former goals into perspective. “I’m now at a point in my career where I’m finally starting to appreciate everything I’ve done.she explained at a press conference. It is no longer essential for me to win a Grand Slam to be able to say to myself: ‘ok, I did a good job, I really left a mark’. It’s still one of my goals, but I tended to think that if I didn’t win one, I wouldn’t have reached my full potential.“Against the former world No. 3, she perfectly knew how to use her experience to win a meeting which could have gone to the Ukrainian’s advantage.”I’m very proud of myself, proud to reach another semi-final here and I really hope I can take another step forward.” All that remains is for him to move a little further towards this goal, this youthful dream and this somewhat repressed ambition. This would be his second Grand Slam final, after the US Open in 2017.
