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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 16, 2018

Madison Keys

Cincinnati, Ohio

M. KEYS/A. Kerber

2-6, 7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk about that second set and the turnaround.
MADISON KEYS: I just knew once I got broken that it was really important the next game to, even if I didn't break back, just to stay in it. You know, once I broke, I felt like I finally kind of started figuring out how I wanted to play and how to be patient but also going for it at the right time. I felt like I really found my rhythm there.

Q. Why do you think it took so long? Conditions, stuff?
MADISON KEYS: I don't know. Just because. Felt like making it longer than necessary. I don't know (smiling).

Q. Bouncing back from, you know, the way that you kind of left Wimbledon and having these two pretty good fight-back wins this week against Bethanie and now today, did you feel, just mentally, the way you were approaching both these matches when you were down that maybe, I don't know, there was a different focus on court?
MADISON KEYS: I think after Wimbledon I knew that in kind of high-stress moments that I needed just to focus on something very specific, whether it was looking for forehands or moving my feet, something like that.

So I feel like I did that well in both of these matches. You know, you always learn more from losses. That's why they are so important (smiling).

Q. Darren Cahill was in here and speaking about working with Simona. He's at a point where he's starting to wave her off when she calls for him, because he says it's more important she can problem-solve herself and he can teach her to do that so that she has the confidence on her own. Where do you feel like you are with that?
MADISON KEYS: I mean, I think I did it well today. I mean, it's always funny, I feel like some of my best results are at Grand Slams where I can't call a coach out. So I think a lot of times I use on-court coaching because it's there, not necessarily -- I mean, I know what they're going to say.

When you're playing, you know what you're doing wrong. It's not very often that you have moments where they come on and they say something that you're completely not expecting. So I think sometimes it's just nice to have someone remind you of that. But obviously the four times a year when you can't use it kind of matter more. So I think it's really important that we are, you know, capable of doing it more often by ourselves.

Q. How big of a win is this for you?
MADISON KEYS: Well, considering the last, what was it, six times it didn't go so hot, it feels good. More than anything, it was just how I handled being down and not letting the previous results kind of spiral in my head for me. I think that's what I'm happiest with.

Q. What do you think has brought you to that? You're always very candid about how you play this mental game with yourself.
MADISON KEYS: I think I'm just really mature now (smiling). I can't even say it with a straight face.

I think that today specifically I was just really good at staying focused on a couple of things and not letting my mind wander or get ahead of myself or anything like that.

I think I just did a really good job when I needed to of making balls that I needed to and trusting my game and knowing, okay, I have this forehand, now I can go for it.

I think the other thing was not getting down on myself when I played the point the right way. I just missed it.

Q. Serena is getting a lot of accolades, as she should, for representing moms and being, like, you know what? I deal with the same things everyone else does. You have done that for social media and antibullying, a great thing at a pretty young age. What inspired you to do that? How actively involved in that are you now?
MADISON KEYS: Honestly what inspired me was a really low moment in Beijing where I had gotten a lot of nasty messages, and I was just pissed off and wanted to respond.

It was amazing that when I did that, and I did it in a respectful way, not trying to start a fight, but so many people were saying, I'm so glad that you did that. You know, we had no idea that this was happening.

So I realized then the "just ignore it, don't talk about it, don't give them a spotlight" wasn't really working. Then going in and having Fearlessly Girl and all of that, and these girls are dealing with online bullying just within their schools, and I think we have kind of beaten it into everyone's head you're not supposed to talk about it and you're not supposed to respond, so they're not saying anything, so to have those girls come up and say, Because you responded to someone, I went and I finally talked to someone about it, so that's why I keep doing it, even though people will continue to say that I shouldn't, but I'm, you know, feel like I'm helping some people.

Q. Why did they say you shouldn't? Because it takes up time?
MADISON KEYS: Well, you're giving the person a spotlight or whatever, which a lot of times their accounts immediately go private, so apparently they don't like the spotlight, but...

Q. How active are you able to be in it now? Still as involved in the Fearlessly Girl?
MADISON KEYS: I'm as active as possible. There is a big event coming up in New York that I'm going to be there for, and I was supposed to be at the one in Montreal but couldn't make it. But, you know, I try to be as active as possible, and Kate's always sending me pictures and texting me stuff. I try to do as much of it as I can.

Q. Can you talk, just provide some detail on the cyst? Just so we don't worry.
MADISON KEYS: It was the right one, don't worry. It wasn't the left wrist. It's fine. It was just in a really bad spot that was limiting movement, essentially. It was directly on top of a bone so my bone couldn't move. Apparently I'm a cyst former.

Q. Is that actually a thing?
MADISON KEYS: Yeah, apparently. I have a bunch everywhere, but this one was just in the wrong spot. So I had a needle go into my hand and rupture it. That was fun (smiling).

It was funny, because honestly the actual issue felt fine the next day, but it was because I had a giant needle poking around in my wrist that I couldn't play the next day. But, yeah, no, all good. It was the right one. It's fine. Lefty is good. No one panic. We're all good.

Q. Appreciate the update. Sabalenka, how much do you know about her?
MADISON KEYS: I don't know a ton. I know that she's a hard hitter and that she goes for her shots. I mean, honestly, that's really all I know. I have seen bits and pieces here and there, but I haven't been able to sit down and focus on her strengths and weaknesses.

Q. You know that game well, don't you?
MADISON KEYS: I do know that game well. So I think it's just going to be a carryover from similar matches like that and focus on that, but obviously gonna have to study her a little bit more.

Q. Your coach, David Taylor, he sat down with the rest of us on Sunday and we were asking him about what sort of approach he's taking with you going into the US Open, because as you get closer, you have that pressure of having to defend that Grand Slam final. He said that the biggest thing for him was that he wanted to just make it about tennis. He just wanted it to be a series of patterns you follow and just focus on the tennis. What is your approach going into the US Open now?
MADISON KEYS: What he said.

Q. That's it?
MADISON KEYS: I mean, it's true. I think it's the first time I'm going to have to be someone defending, getting to the finals of a slam. I have never done it. That's going to be a new experience for me.

So I have to just focus on what I can control, and that's playing the best tennis that I can and handling the moment. That's really all I can focus on.

Q. Are you enjoying being around such a strong Australian accent?
MADISON KEYS: I mean, I had Scott before, so I'm used to it. Every once in a while they have their slang, and I'm, like, I don't know what that means.

Q. Give us an example of stuff that he said.
MADISON KEYS: He had some slang word for "afternoon."

Q. Oh, "arvo"?
MADISON KEYS: Yeah. He was, like, Oh, you're going to hit then? I was, like, With who? I don't know who that is. And he didn't respond for a long time. So I was, like, Yeah, okay.

Q. You expected to play with Arvo?
MADISON KEYS: Yeah, whatever that meant.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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