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WIMBLEDON

June 30, 2016

Madison Keys

London, England

M. KEYS/K. Flipkens
6‑4, 4‑6, 6‑3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. She's a tricky opponent, especially on this surface. No panic whatsoever once you got to the third set or a little bit of concern?
MADISON KEYS: Obviously she's a tough player. I knew I was going to have to change something because she was playing really well in the second set.
I think I did a pretty good job at switching things up. It kind of got me to that 5‑Love lead, which really helped me out.
Obviously there's always knowing she's going to be a tough opponent in the back of my head. So as much as I kind of felt a little bit better after the first couple of games, feeling like I figured it out a little bit, I knew anything could happen.

Q. You're always pretty aggressive, but against Kirsten, do you come out and want to be more aggressive to eliminate any of her game, really push that envelope?
MADISON KEYS: I think there's definitely kind of the balance between that. I think at times I was a little bit too passive, which is why she was able to get back in the match and win that second set, is what I feel at least.
I think when I was playing well, I was definitely more aggressive.

Q. What did you kind of solve out there from set to set? What were the adjustments you made?
MADISON KEYS: I think the biggest thing was being able to step up to her slice and not get on the defense with it. She has a really good slice, especially on grass. It stays really low.
Being able to put it in a good spot without taking yourself out of position on the court, I think when I was losing, I wasn't doing that very well. She had the open court. Once I started doing that better is when I was able to dictate the point a little more.

Q. Is there a sense of relief, once we're here at day four, to have been through two matches with all these rain delays?
MADISON KEYS: For sure. It's definitely a crazy first four days. The fact that there were first‑round matches going on this morning seems insane. I've definitely really been lucky with the schedule, being able to get on without any rain delays, get into the third round.

Q. In addition to your own success, it's been a strong start here for U.S. players almost across the board. What in your mind is the state of American tennis these days?
MADISON KEYS: I think it's good right now. Obviously there's a lot of women who are in the top 50, top 100. There's a lot of guys who are slowly climbing up the rankings and doing well in slams.
Stevie just won his first title last week.
I think the guys and the girls are feeling more comfortable on the tour and slowly just getting better and better.

Q. Do you think it's more a matter of time? Why does it seem to be taking shape now?
MADISON KEYS: I think there's always kind of a lull in generations. I think it happens. Obviously there's a lot of young Americans who are coming up, especially on the men's side more recently, like Taylor Fritz.
I think it's just a matter of time before, like, Taylor comes out and starts having big wins, doing better and better, being able to be one of the top U.S. men.

Q. When you think about Venus Williams as a player and as a person, what are the most important attributes of hers that come to mind?
MADISON KEYS: I think as a player, her ability to still be out there, and you can tell she loves the game, is amazing. I know she had a lot of health issues. So being able to get through all that and still be one of the best women in the world is really inspiring.
As a person, I think she's a very nice person. She's very down‑to‑earth. It's just nice to see someone who has had all the success, but is still a really nice, genuine person.

Q. What do you think has made her such a strong player and champion? What are the skills as well as approach from her that you see when you watch her play?
MADISON KEYS: I think she has an amazing serve. I think she's very solid at the baseline. Especially when she was winning slams, her ability to come forward and be so aggressive and take time away was a huge factor.

Q. Just one word answers about your favorite things. Your favorite movie?
MADISON KEYS: Pretty Woman.

Q. Your favorite actor or actress?
MADISON KEYS: Julia Roberts.

Q. Who would you want to play you in a movie?
MADISON KEYS: Julia Roberts.

Q. Championship you'd like to win outside of the sport of tennis?
MADISON KEYS: Super Bowl.

Q. If you had to eat a food for the rest of your life, it would be?
MADISON KEYS: Ice cream.

Q. Fashion faux pas that you'd most like to erase?
MADISON KEYS: That chokers are no longer in style.

Q. Is there anything, apart from your kit, that you never travel without, home comforts or anything like that?
MADISON KEYS: Something that I never travel without? I don't think so. I kind of mix it all up. I have a ridiculous amount of hair products, though. Between like shampoo, conditioner, hair mask, like leave‑in conditioner, hair spray, bobby pins. There's a lot of toiletries in my bag every tournament.

Q. If you play Cornet next, what is the game plan against her? What do you need to focus on on your side of the net to get that done?
MADISON KEYS: I haven't played Cornet in a really long time. To be honest, I don't hundred percent know the answer to that question.
I think the biggest thing is she has a lot of emotion on her side of the net, which helps her completely. So I think a big aspect is going to be just focusing on myself.

Q. Is that easy to do? Are you ever distracted by players who are emotional, making a lot of noise?
MADISON KEYS: I think at times it can sometimes be distracting. But I think when you're really just focusing on yourself, it's pretty easy to just stay on your side of the net.

Q. To what degree do you get to watch Novak Djokovic play? When you do, what strikes you most about why he's so successful?
MADISON KEYS: I don't know. I mean, it just seems like he doesn't lose anymore. Whatever he's doing, he's doing it well.
But I think the biggest thing that I'm always impressed with, no matter how he's playing that day, he always seems to find a way to win. Obviously there's been matches where he's been down a couple sets, he's been in bad positions, but his ability to dig himself out of some holes is really interesting to watch.

Q. Is that level of consistency of the very top players, is that one of the greatest things that separates them from the rest of players?
MADISON KEYS: I would say so. I think their ability to always be in a match, no matter what the score is, is why they're ranked as high as they are.
You always think they're in a match, no matter what the score is.

Q. Can you feel your confidence just growing as you've gotten more and more success, winning some titles? Is that something you feel within yourself?
MADISON KEYS: I think my confidence more has come from knowing I've put in all of the work on the practice court, in the gym, you know, just doing everything that I can so that when I step on the court I'm 100% ready. I think that's where a lot of my confidence comes from, more so than the results of a match.

Q. On the topic of confidence. When you were in the other day, you said the fact that people say about you that you have the potential to be at the very top, to be like No.1 in the game, didn't put pressure on you so much as it gave you more confidence within yourself to hear that. How are you able to turn what a lot of people view as pressure into a positive?
MADISON KEYS: I think it's just how you look at it. I think you can take one statement and you can think of it in a couple of different ways. I think taking it as a way to work harder, know that someone who's done it thinks that about me, and take that as, Okay, someone else thinks you can do it, let's go out and go to practice. I think that's a really positive way of looking at it, instead of thinking of it as a negative pressure‑type thing.

Q. What is the best thing in your mind about playing on grass and what is the worst?
MADISON KEYS: I personally love grass. One, because it suits my game really well. Also because I love the tradition behind it. When you're playing on grass, it usually means you're at Wimbledon. There's the all white, all of that.
But the thing I don't like about it is sometimes you get some really interesting bounces.

Q. How would you define 'interesting'?
MADISON KEYS: Well, you think it's going to do one thing and then it goes the other direction.

Q. Is there one particular instance that stands out in your mind?
MADISON KEYS: It's difficult sometimes, especially returning, if they hit the line on their serve. It can really skid and go in a completely different direction.

Q. After a long stretch in Europe, heading home after Wimbledon, what do you most look forward to when you go home and what's the first thing you do when you get home?
MADISON KEYS: I have an amazing closet in my room. I usually just go downstairs and open the doors and sit in my closet and look at all of the things that I missed. Then I usually just hang out with my family and my dogs.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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