WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 21, 2020

Madison Keys

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Madison.

Q. Could you try and summarize what the last five months were like for you and what kind of stuff did you get to do that perhaps you never had the time to before?

MADISON KEYS: What did I do? I worked out. I played tennis, which is kind of the usual for me. I did a ton of cooking. I pretty much had my hands in soil at all times playing with plants. That was kind of it. It felt a lot like it was a long time, but it also kind of went by really quick. Tried to stay as busy as I could.

Q. In terms of how you viewed this period, did it in a way give you any different perspective?

MADISON KEYS: There were a lot of different times when I kind of felt different things. At first it was obviously confusion of what's going on, how long is this going to go. I think everyone was very apprehensive.

I was obviously in a really privileged position where I wasn't very stressed about a lot of things going on. I didn't have that added stressor, which I'm very thankful for, but also very blessed. I know I was one of the few people in that position.

But it also just took me a moment to just be really grateful for the life that I have, the things that I am able to do, to get to stay home, just kind of hang out and not really be stressed. It really made me take a second to think how grateful I am for that, how I kind of want to start taking some steps to help other people who aren't necessarily in that position.

Q. You're from Illinois, but you like to call Cincinnati your home tournament. What are you going to be missing about your stop in Cincinnati this year?

MADISON KEYS: I think more than anything I really, really miss the people. I have played Cincinnati for quite a few years now, so I feel like I've created a pretty solid fan base. Obviously winning the tournament last year, having all of those people there to cheer me on was such an incredible moment.

Not being able to have that, not being able to interact with fans, all of that, is going to be one of the biggest things that I miss.

Q. From a purely professional perspective, perhaps the perspective of a U.S. player, are you disappointed so many of the top women have chosen not to play these two events?

MADISON KEYS: I don't think that I can put myself in another person's shoes like that. I think everyone has their own choice to play or not to play. They have to travel. It could be a safety thing for them. It could be for health. I can't make that decision for other people.

Q. Not making the decision, but how do you feel about it? Is it an advantage for you with less competition or are you more disappointed?

MADISON KEYS: I'm just thankful that tennis is back and that I'm healthy and that I can play. I honestly didn't give it a ton of thought. I've just been really focused on getting my level back up. Haven't played a competitive match for quite some months, so I think no matter what it's going to be competitive and it's going to be tough.

Q. What were your expectations like when the whole tennis world got back together in this New York during this time? We've seen some somewhat questionable behavior from various players during this time regarding virus protocols. What was your confidence level that everyone would be following the rules in New York, and what it's like now that you're on the ground?

MADISON KEYS: I think obviously time apart, we're all our own people so we all make our own decisions. That's on every individual.

As far as coming into the New York bubble, I know that the USTA obviously had very strict protocols. They meant it when they told us that if we broke rules, we were out. So I felt really confident that they were going to do that.

I'm, you know, pleasantly surprised with how smooth everything is running considering it's a very different situation, we're all kind of trying to figure it out.

I feel like every time I walk around, everyone has a mask on, everyone is staying pretty separate. If they're not, there's volunteers and people around to remind people. So far so good.

Q. Does it feel a little odd being the defending champion but being nowhere near where you won the title a year ago? What is the setting like there in New York? Also, the idea of going back-to-back, having the sort of unusual doubleheader there, having the tournament a week right before the Grand Slam tournament begins?

MADISON KEYS: It's definitely strange to be defending my Cincinnati title not on Cincinnati courts, which hopefully we don't ever have to worry about again. I'm just really happy I am able to come back and defend my title no matter where in the world it is. Very happy to be back playing tennis and playing competitively.

It definitely is a little strange. I think the biggest thing is it's strange getting ready for a tournament that's not the US Open at the US Open. That's been a little bit weird for my brain to try to figure out.

Again, very happy to be back. Very happy that we're able to get two tournaments on one site.

Q. In terms of the fact it's been so long since anyone's competed, does that lend an air that nobody really knows what's going to happen? You haven't played each other, players haven't seen you, no competition. What is that like heading into these tournaments with that unknown?

MADISON KEYS: I think on the WTA side there's typically a lot of depth anyways. Everyone kind of thinks there's five to ten people that could win a title at any moment. I think now that list is probably even longer because we haven't seen each other, we don't know what we've been up to. There is a lot of uncertainty that we're so used to seeing each other every week, really knowing what level we're all on at once.

I think it will be a very interesting few weeks.

Q. Being the defending champion, one of the weird things is that rankings are semi-frozen where you can't really fall. If someone had a great week last year and loses early, nothing really happens. Does that change anything? Players say they don't look at the rankings, but that isn't always true.

MADISON KEYS: The honest truth in that is I don't have the added pressure of if I don't win I'm not going to fall in the rankings. That's just being totally honest in the situation that we're in.

At the same time we're still playing for something. There are more tournaments coming up that I could actually make a difference and do better than I did last year. There's still that added pressure of I want to make sure I get off to a good start so that I can get matches under my belt and not be all of a sudden in a tournament where I didn't do well and I have an opportunity and not have that confidence.

Q. You mentioned the rules are very strict, people are watching. The casualties of that are the two players isolating in the hotel right now after their physio got sick. Given how positive it seems the first few days have been, does that put anything in your mind about what could happen if something unfortunate happens?

MADISON KEYS: I think we all knew that coming in. I think that was the risk that we were taking in coming to the tournament. Unfortunately two players have been affected by that. Hopefully more players aren't affected by that.

It's just kind of the risk that we're all taking. I know we're all trying to be as safe and smart as we possibly can.

Q. What was your motivation level throughout the stoppage? Fluctuated or...

MADISON KEYS: It fluctuated a little bit. Obviously as things started getting canceled more and more, there was a big question mark on any tournaments actually coming back, there were definitely a few weeks in the past couple of months of, Should I be playing? Should I be practicing? What am I doing?

At the same time there wasn't much else to do, so it was pretty easy. I always kind of want to stay in good shape, feel good, try to stay healthy. I also love tennis. Just going out and playing tennis is always a blessing.

There were some weeks where I was a lot more focused on I'm going to work on things, get X, Y and Z done, then there were other weeks where it was let's just go out and hit and have fun.

Q. Did you have coaches with you? What was your training setup like?

MADISON KEYS: I didn't really have a coach until, gosh, I don't even know. After the Charleston XO, I believe. I hit a lot with Bjorn. Jenny lives in my neighborhood. We were getting ready for Charleston together. The last couple weeks I was hitting with Allie Riske, as well.