	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

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 15, 2019

Madison Keys

Cincinnati, Ohio

M. KEYS/S. Halep

6-1, 3-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. First win against her in quite some time. How were you able to get it done tonight?
MADISON KEYS: I think I played really smart tonight. Obviously I played a really good first set, and I don't think she played her best tennis in the first.

I think the third set we both played a pretty high level of tennis. I think it was the first time in a long time that I just played a little bit more within myself and didn't try to do too much too soon.

Q. Every time you got ahead in the third set she seemed to come right back. How did you manage the emotions and not get too frustrated?
MADISON KEYS: Honestly I kind of just expected it. She's been No. 1 for a reason, won Grand Slams for a reason. I knew that she wasn't just going to, you know, ever give up or give in. I knew the entire time I had to fully win the match before, you know, I could actually take a deep breath.

Q. The court coverage, especially deep in that third set, was pretty impeccable. Dropshots were more impeccable, especially in the clutch. It was an impressive performance. You know, like when you look back on specifically that set, what seemed to gel? Because you both were playing a very high level at the same time. What do you think made the difference in the end?
MADISON KEYS: I think I just kind of trusted myself a little bit, and I didn't really hold back on any of my shots. I think I made a couple of bad misses, but at the same time I think I did a lot of really good things.

I don't know where the dropshots came from, honestly. A couple of times as I was hitting it, I was, like, This is really dumb. And then it worked. I was, like, Okay, it was not dumb. Thank God.

Honestly, yeah, it seemed like everything was flowing, and I wasn't really going to start thinking about it too much.

Q. Smart. I mean, what is the most satisfying to you, a result like that, getting a win against an opponent who is a top quality opponent that had your number for a little bit? Is it the level, the satisfaction of playing that level and finding that level? Is it making the quarterfinals of an event like this? What was the biggest satisfaction?
MADISON KEYS: I think it's more the level, and I think being able to play as well as I did at the end after being out there for two hours. I was really happy with that. But I think also the ability to keep bouncing back after being up 3-0 and then having a match point and all that, staying really calm and continuing just to try to get the next point was my favorite part.

Q. Venus next. Your thoughts on that.
MADISON KEYS: I haven't thought about it yet. I just want to go to sleep (smiling).

Venus is always tough. She's obviously playing some really good tennis to have some really good wins here, and I played her in the past a few times. I think it's gone both ways a couple of times.

But again, she's obviously playing some really good tennis in order to beat Kiki and then Vekic and all that. I'm going to have to see what she's been doing well.

Q. Simona is one of the players no matter where she goes it seems like the whole crowd is behind her even in the States. It seems like at first there were more people for you than for her. How do you take on that challenge, not only taking on her but sometimes the whole stadium?
MADISON KEYS: I have played Simona enough to kind of know she's going to have a whole squad. No matter where we are in the world she always has a squad (smiling).

So I knew that was coming. It's exciting. I honestly, as long as there is energy in the stadium, I don't really care who they are cheering for. It's just nice to have that. But fully, fully expected.

Q. How good does it feel to kind of get a result like this and to find this level of form after the last couple of months but also just with New York coming up, as well? Is there a little bit of a relaxing on the shoulders?
MADISON KEYS: Yes, it feels a little bit better, little less stressed. Ask me again in a week and I will be just as stressed.

Yeah, in order to find that level right before a slam obviously feels good, but especially after having some tough weeks, being able to kind of put it all together makes me feel a little bit better going into the US Open.

Q. Were you super worried?
MADISON KEYS: I mean, not super worried, but, like, it doesn't feel amazing if you go in and you're, like, Oh, I have been playing some not perfect tennis, let's go play the US Open, fun (smiling).

So it's nice to find that and feel good about it.

Q. What was the key to bouncing back from those results?
MADISON KEYS: Just knowing that I have put a lot of work in on the court and on the practice court and in the gym and all of that. Just one of those things where it felt like it was really close to clicking. It just wasn't yet.

And, you know, you have all the people texting you the cheesy things like, Stay in it, it will be better. And you kind of listen to them. And then eventually little bits start clicking and you start finding -- you know, you feel like your serve is a little better, your forehand is a little better, and then eventually it comes together.

Q. Do you text that stuff to other people, as well?
MADISON KEYS: Sometimes. But, like, as I do it, I know they're rolling their eyes. I try not to do it too often.

Q. About the dropshots, will we see more of them?
MADISON KEYS: I don't know. We'll see how it goes. It was kind of more spur-of-the-moment decisions, so we'll see if I have, like, a stroke and decide to do it again (smiling).

Q. Not just tonight's match, but obviously the match against Muguruza, another tough one coming through against a top player, did that match at all kind of unlock something or kind of take your confidence to a different level, even, like, where your confidence was before compared to then, after the Muguruza match and comparing it from before Halep to now, which was the more kind of impactful, do you think?
MADISON KEYS: I mean, obviously the match against GarbiÃ±e, it kind of started everything. I mean, that match was huge for me and being able to figure that out, being so close to losing that I think definitely helped my momentum. And I feel like I have played a little bit better each match since then and gotten a little bit more confident.

But, I mean, you'd have to say that the Muguruza match was the thing that kind of started all of it.

Q. Thank you for writing my story.
MADISON KEYS: You're welcome.

Q. What specifically, since that is your foundation, if you will, for this run, what were you able to figure out in that match to get it done?
MADISON KEYS: I think I was probably lacking a little bit of confidence and wasn't fully committing to all of my shots and kind of holding back. At some point I kind of thought, well, what I'm doing isn't working, so I might as well just really go for it and trust myself and see what happens.

And once I made that decision, I knew I would have been happy no matter which way it went, simply because I had the right intention and I was trying to do the right thing.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297