	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2018

Madison Keys

Paris, France

M. KEYS/N. Osaka

6-1, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. What was the key to closing that one out after a decently complicated second set?
MADISON KEYS: I think even serving at 5-4, I was actually, for the most part, happy with, like, most of my shots. I feel like I just missed some of them.

After that, it was just, okay, let me just focus on my game, make all of the balls that I can. And then I felt like I had to just really balance making the ball when I didn't have the right one, and then once I had the right one going for it and still trusting my game.

Q. Maybe the clay is least favorite surface for you? Seems like you are playing really good not only today's match but the past three matches. So did you find some good relationships with clay?
MADISON KEYS: It grows on me a little bit more every year (smiling). You know, this is now my second fourth round here and I feel like I'm playing some pretty good tennis. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my clay court Roland Garros.

Q. Naomi has been a pretty good matchup for you in your career. What do you think it is about your game, which some people might think are decently similar, that you're able to come out on top time and again?
MADISON KEYS: I mean, I think the first time we played was US Open, and I think that's just a match that, you know, I was lucky to be able to scrape through that. And, you know, I think we have very similar games. I obviously like playing against someone who has pace. So that's always great.

But even seeing how she raised her level in the second set was, you know, a lot different from the last time we played each other, so you can tell that she's definitely getting better and better and making smarter decisions.

So I think luckily I'm still a little bit older, so pulled out the veteran moves today.

Q. I know that you like to express your emotions on Twitter through different Emojis, and I saw a few days ago here at Roland Garros you said if you had to use an Emoji at the start of the week, it would be a big face without a smile, not too down, just straight line across. I was wondering, throughout this week at Roland Garros, could you give us a few different Emojis to describe your first week here at Roland Garros and today's match?
MADISON KEYS: Well, I mean, today was a little bit dramatic, so whatever you want to use to express that. That's probably how I would express that today.

Q. You said in today's match you felt like Naomi is getting better. Did you find any differences in her game or her attitude compared to the last time you played against her? You said you were glad because you are a little bit older than her. Do you think that experience helps you today?
MADISON KEYS: I think experience helps me today, but I also -- I mean, I feel like her attitude was really great today and I never really saw her get overly down on herself. More than anything, I think she just played really smart at times.

Q. Could you just talk a little bit more specifically how smart she played today?
MADISON KEYS: I mean, you might want to ask her for more details, but I think she just mixed things up well and didn't keep playing the same way after the first set. That's why the second set was more difficult.

Q. Where are you staying this year? Anything different than you normally do and what other habits you have when you're in Paris?
MADISON KEYS: Pretty much stick to the same thing. Pretty much creature of habit with being a tennis player. So pretty much all in all same thing as always.

Q. Would you say you're having a quiet first week here? At least relatively quiet compared to previous slams? US Open was obviously busy because it's your home slam. Australian Open, follow-up slam after making your first final. So is this like a nice, chilled slam for you so far?
MADISON KEYS: I don't think you can ever say a slam is chill, but it's definitely been a little bit more under the radar and not complaining about it.

Q. Thoughts on your next match against either Svitolina or Dr. Buzarnescu.
MADISON KEYS: I have obviously played Svitolina. I have not played -- I don't know how to pronounce her last name so I won't say it. Obviously I can watch that and see how things go, and I'm going to rely on my lovely coaches to help me out there and give me a game plan, and then just going to go out and hopefully execute it well.

Q. I know that you have also said that there were times last year when you were a bit frustrated that you couldn't play with the freedom you enjoy because of the wrist injury. I was just wondering now if that's feeling better, whether you're playing with a new sense of freedom and whether that's helping you on the court.
MADISON KEYS: I think I have been, you know, knock on wood, haven't had any left wrist pain since surgery last year, and being away from the court made me remember how much I really love the sport and how much I love being out there.

So I feel like, for the most part, all of my matches I'm playing a little bit more calm just because I'm remembering it's not life or death and really just enjoying my time out there.

Q. Considering that was obviously a very attractive-looking matchup this morning, were you a bit surprised when you walked out on court and so many empty seats? Does that affect you at all?
MADISON KEYS: To be totally honest with you, I didn't really look at the crowd (smiling).

Q. Really? There was a lot of empty seats. Do you think possibly the organizers could try to get people in a bit earlier?
MADISON KEYS: I don't really know what to say to that. I'm not the person to ask. Sorry.

Q. You have talked in the past about your love or maybe less-than-love of clay. And you were asked on the match today, after the match, given that your game tends to be built for other surfaces, does making a deeper run here say something to you about the overall growth of you as a player and your game?
MADISON KEYS: I have had good results on clay. I think it's more my own mentality on clay. I feel like a lot of times I get too passive or too aggressive, and it's finding that middle ground where I'm not playing a different way than I like playing tennis.

But just finding that middle ground of, okay, maybe I need to make two or three more balls, so remembering great matches that I have had on clay courts but also having some really good matches here definitely gives me the confidence that I'm figuring it out a little bit more every time I'm on the surface.

Q. You just said that having that time off during the injury recovery gave you some space to thinking about why you love the game. Could you try and put into words your passion for tennis, why you do love the game?
MADISON KEYS: I love tennis just because it was the only real sport that I ever fell in love with. I obviously had a very interesting start to tennis, wanting a tennis dress and not actually wanting to play the sport.

But from 10 years old, I knew I wanted to be a professional tennis player and I went pro at 14 and have been fully committed to playing tennis.

It's become a part of me that, you know, when you're having a bad day you can go out and you can hit. Even on your bad days you're still out there playing a sport and doing what you love as your job.

Q. When you were 10 years old, did you think much about how hard it is to become a top pro, or...
MADISON KEYS: No, I was 10 (smiling). Very naive then.

Q. It's good to be naive, don't you think?
MADISON KEYS: It definitely was a really good decision for me. I obviously from 10 years old, going to college to play college tennis was never really my dream. I knew if I didn't make it as a professional tennis player I'd want to do something else.

So at 14, committing seemed like the easiest thing in the world, and I saw a lot of my friends who were 17, 18, trying to make that decision later. So I'm really glad that from 14 I was that stubborn and just decided to do it, just because it made my decision that much easier.

Q. If it is Buzarnescu, how unusual is it for you to be this unfamiliar with a player who is seeded at a Grand Slam? Because she's seeded here, and she's risen incredibly fast up the rankings relatively under, I guess, your radar.
MADISON KEYS: I know that she's seeded and I always see her name. I just haven't been able to watch any of her matches. That's more what I mean when I say I don't know her. It's also kind of refreshing and nice to play someone you have never played before.

Q. Talk just a little bit about the fabled tennis dress you wanted as a young child and have you ever spoken to Venus about it and were you thrilled to get it?
MADISON KEYS: I don't think I ended up getting it. Yeah. That's the sad part of the story (laughter). But, hey, I'm still playing tennis almost 10 years -- or, God, 20 years later. I guess it all worked out.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297