AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 18, 2023

Madison Keys

Press Conference

M. KEYS/X. Wang

6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Madison, well done. You must be pleased to get your match done today and get it done as well as you did.

MADISON KEYS: Yeah, obviously an advantage of having the roof and kind of having to know when I'm going on and being able to play. So I think that takes a little bit of the many things that can influence a match out of the hands of the weather gods.

Yeah, really happy with my match today, and able to get it done pretty cleanly.

Q. Madison, just with your performances at United Cup and then continuing that through here, what are you most pleased about and what do you think has been the most consistent thing that you've been able to kind of execute match to match to match?

MADISON KEYS: I think one of the biggest things that I'm really trying to work on is even when I'm not playing my best tennis, being able to have my worst level not be as bad and just kind of try to bring that in a little bit. I mean, that's been a big goal of mine, and that's something that I'm working on.

I think I've done a pretty good job at, even in matches where I start not playing amazing, figuring my way out, getting more comfortable and just giving myself the opportunity to get into matches.

I think that's what I've been the most proud of so far this season.

Q. How does one do that?

MADISON KEYS: You know, I don't know. Try not to make dumb decisions mostly, which is still a work in progress.

But, I mean, for me it's really just trying to let myself rely on making balls because I have become a much better mover, and I can stay in points, and I don't necessarily have to be the aggressor all of the time.

Basically allowing myself to do that sometimes, and just try to get myself back into a match and get more rhythm and all of that, I think has been the biggest thing.

Q. Do you feel like you're on a roll? Does it feel like that just the way that you started your season? Or does it not?

MADISON KEYS: I don't know. It's a little weird. I obviously feel like I've played some really good tennis, and have so far, and obviously have played a lot of matches. That's really all that you can really ask for at the start of a season.

But at the same time it's just I feel like I've come in with a very business mindset and a way of, okay, it's another match, it's another match, it's another match, and not really thinking much past what's ahead of me, what I need to do to try to win that one and then move on to the next one.

Q. I have to ask about the locks that are showing up. Just to clarify, are you guys trolling Taylor because of his interesting rendition yesterday, or is this a Team USA United Cup thing?

MADISON KEYS: No, it is a Team USA thing. Unfortunately, Taylor switches so bad. Denis was nice enough last night while he was here waiting for his match to get canceled to give us a bunch of different options.

So I guess for whatever reason today we decided that we would all lean in and try to explain what Taylor was trying to do for him.

So, yeah, it's just us being dumb (laughing).

Q. Obviously, wild conditions over the first three days of the tournament just because of how different they have been. With the weather starting to look like hopefully tomorrow and through the end of the tournament regulating a little bit, how much are you relieved to just be able to get through kind of what could have been a rockier start just with scheduling and all that sort of stuff?

MADISON KEYS: Obviously, I lucked out being able to know when I was going to go on. The toughest part of today was having to wait for a five-set match. Obviously, I'm very lucky in that way, so I feel like no complaints from me.

But it has been tough. Obviously I feel like even the practice week here, the weather was dramatically different every single day, so it felt like every day the courts were playing differently.

I'm looking forward to kind of hopefully a more normal similar weather schedule and then hopefully I'm here for multiple days to get to experience that.

Q. Is there any sense of kind of a collective vibe going on from United Cup, just the way that you've been, Jess, Frances, Taylor? It seems like everyone is in a really positive head space, and it doesn't necessarily seem to be just because of winning.

MADISON KEYS: No. Honestly, I think I speak for everyone, it was truly the best two weeks of my whole life. It was so much fun. And obviously winning is the cherry on top and all of that. I mean, to have the seven other amazing people and then all of our teams together, it was just a really great group of people. I think it was the perfect way to start the year.

I mean, we had so much fun. I'm really happy that we've continued to -- we still talk literally every single day (laughing). We still have meals together and all of that. So I think just carrying that over outside of the event has been really great for all of us.