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ROLAND GARROS

June 5, 2018

Madison Keys

Paris, France

M. KEYS/Y. Putintseva

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Congratulations, your first semifinal here. How happy are you with that win, and has your friendship with the clay, your blooming friendship, has it turned into a little bit of a romance here in Paris?
MADISON KEYS: I'm very happy with today. I obviously was down a break in the first. So to be able to get that back and play, I think, a lot better after that was really great.

And, yeah, I'm definitely liking the clay a little bit more now that I have made a semifinal here (smiling).

Q. This ability to capitalize in the big moments, is it cumulative in a slam? Can you kind of feel one match transfer to another?
MADISON KEYS: I think you feel it a little bit. And I think there's those big moments that happen in matches, you know, being down set point against Osaka the other day and being able to win that point in the tiebreaker, those are kind of the moments where you feel like you get through it, and that just helps you later in the tournament.

So there has been a couple of those moments where I feel like they have helped me in those big moments, and they helped me today, as well.

Q. I heard on TV that this might be your last tournament with Lindsay. Is that true?
MADISON KEYS: She's no longer going to be "the" head coach, but I will always have a relationship with Lindsay. And whenever she's at a tournament, she will be around and be helping out. And there's still going to be weeks where she's going to be there.

So really not a lot has changed. Just more the official title.

Q. What gave you the most satisfaction, the fact that it was another -- would you describe low-drama win or that you actually had the fortitude to come back after a break. You didn't panic. What was the most satisfying thing from today?
MADISON KEYS: I think the biggest thing is just staying so level-headed after being down a break in the first. But more than that, I think I served out the match really well. That has not always been easy for me, especially here.

So to be 30-All, 5-4 and have two really good serves and go for it and trust my game, I think that's what I'm most happy with.

Q. I know in Rome you were alone and you said that was fine and you did well. Just wondering what your plans are now to find, kind of, someone to be traveling with you.
MADISON KEYS: Honestly, just trying to get through this tournament and then regroup and figure it out (smiling).

It's been kind of a hectic couple of weeks, so I haven't really had lots of down time to figure it all out yet. As soon as I'm done here, that will probably be the first conversation that I have.

Q. If we look at your performances here at Roland Garros, you finished out the matches really strongly and quite emphatically. Is that a conscious effort that once you see the finishing line, you're going for it, or does it just come naturally?
MADISON KEYS: I have actually had to come back from losing match points, so I think the biggest thing is just being able to regroup in those moments.

Today, that's why I'm, you know, so happy is because I did really well once I had that first match point. And I think that's just from having those tough moments under my belt earlier this week.

Q. You talked a little bit, I think, after your last match about finding better clarity on clay and finding balance, when to go for it, not to go for it. Is that getting better and better? Especially against a player like Puntintseva who will make you hit a lot of balls? How happy are you with your patience and clarity today?
MADISON KEYS: I think today is a perfect example of what I have been trying to do, and I think it showed today. Because there were times when I had to go back and hit a higher ball, back where maybe before I would have tried to hit a line-drive winner.

So moments like that, and especially in matches like today, really show me that I'm good at playing on clay, but I can also be aggressive and still play my game.

Q. Can you talk a little about your early thoughts on playing on clay earlier in your career? Was it a kind of confusion in the head? Just carrying, you know, over from the previous question.
MADISON KEYS: I think it was still kind of a confusion in the head up until about a week ago (smiling).

Obviously, I grew up in the States where we don't really have red clay. Even playing on clay, it was green clay, which is much faster and much different.

So my first real experience on red clay, it was when I was 16 or 17. It's been a little bit longer for me to get used to it, but I feel like every year I get more comfortable.

Q. Not just on the red clay, but overall in your career, do you feel like you have had to learn how to have that killer instinct in the big moments, or do you feel like it's something that's come naturally to you?
MADISON KEYS: I think for me it's been being smart about it. It's still going for my shots, because that's how I play my best tennis. And it's trusting that my shots are going to be there when I need them in the big moments.

But it's also not being dumb (smiling). It's being smart about it and waiting for the right ball.

Q. I think at the end of your first press conference on clay you said that this was the year, this was it, it was happening this year.
MADISON KEYS: I did it, guys (smiling).

Q. But, I mean, you weren't getting some of the results in Europe like in Stuttgart and stuff, but in Rome you seemed like you were in a good head space and got confidence. Do you feel that transition into here? Conditions suit you maybe better because when you made the final in Rome? It was pretty heavy, as well.
MADISON KEYS: Rome definitely helped me just feel like I was on the right track and have a little bit more clarity on the court and more just get my confidence back a little bit.

So having those matches in Rome really helped. Obviously wasn't perfect how I had to pull out there, but knowing that I had two really good matches under my belt always helped. And then coming here, I have played on some hot, bouncy days, which is always nice.

But I think overall, even some of the matches I lost, even in Stuttgart, playing a really good match. And all of that has just helped have more confidence and that's definitely helped me here.

Q. You told us the other day that you hoped you could put yourself in a position to play Sloane again. You have held up your end. She's up right now. As that match -- if that match approaches, are there any boundaries that you guys have to sort of put into place as friends who are about to compete?
MADISON KEYS: No. We don't really have boundaries (smiling). I don't think that's going to change.

Yeah, I mean, that's never really stopped us before, so I don't think we're going to have that issue.

Q. You don't have to walk around each other in the locker room or...
MADISON KEYS: No, no. That would just be weird and awkward.

Q. (Question about practicing in disruptive conditions.)
MADISON KEYS: I think, you know, before every match, no matter who the opponent is, I'm trying to get used to how they play. And, obviously, my hitting partner the other day was trying to throw up some heavy balls and things like that.

So I was definitely ready for what she was going to do today.

Q. Was also tactic you train in your mind and in your game in order to like the clay more every day?
MADISON KEYS: What should I do to make me like clay more?

Q. Yes.
MADISON KEYS: I mean, winning helps (smiling). I definitely like it more now than I did last year.

But other than that, I think it's just spending time on it and getting more comfortable. And I think every year I have become a little bit better at that.

Q. One of the things I spoke to Lindsay yesterday about, she was saying that one of the important things that she had talked to you about over the years is how you can be the boss of your own team, make the decisions and that kind of stuff. What was that learning process like for you? How does it compare now to maybe a few years ago?
MADISON KEYS: It was not always the easiest thing for me. I used to go into situations and just kind of wait for people to tell me what to do and what the plan was and all of that.

She's really helped me in that aspect of taking charge of my schedule and saying what I want. She has been tremendous in that area, as well as many others, but especially in that. And it's really helped me figure out what I want to do, how to be smart about it, and make good decisions.

Q. If you can just look ahead to either of your two possible semifinal opponents? Either Sloane or Kasatkina?
MADISON KEYS: I think it's similar in a way, no matter who wins, because both of them get a lot of balls back and are crafty. And I'm going to have to be the one to try to open up the court and go for my shots.

I obviously lost to Sloane at the US Open, but, you know, I feel like on clay it's a little bit of a different matchup. I don't think I have played Dasha since last year, as well.

It's going to be see who wins and then kind of just try to break it down from there.

Q. There is a saying that nice guys or nice girls finish last often in sports. I think the general feeling is that you're a pretty nice person, Madison.
MADISON KEYS: Thanks.

Q. Have you ever been told that you're too nice away from the court? Do you feel like you have had to change the way that you have played your tennis to perhaps not be nice and win more matches?
MADISON KEYS: I have actually been told quite often that I'll never win or do well because I'm too nice of a person and I just don't have it. I think that's a load of crap, but, you know, it's just me (smiling).

I don't think you have to be mean in order to win matches. I think there's a difference between being intense and wanting it and fighting and just not being nice, so that's something that I have always stayed true to.

I'm not ever going to try to be a person that isn't nice, so that feels more authentic to me and, you know, I think I'm still doing okay. Well, trying to be as nice as possible.

Q. Semifinals of two slams in your last three slams, US Open and then now here. Is there a through-line that you identify in terms of both of those two slam runs or are these completely different in terms of what you did at the Open compared to what you're doing here?
MADISON KEYS: Honestly, the Open feels like it was 12 years ago at this point.

I obviously rely on what I learned there and how to manage my emotions and manage the moment, but there were so many late nights and I was so tired. It feels completely different here.

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