By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday January 28, 2025
Madison Keys needed to let go of her hopes and desires to attain them.
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After finishing her dramatic run to her maiden main title over the weekend in Melbourne, the American talked concerning the troublesome strategy of coping with expectations and making sense of her personal emotions with regard to her profession.
Keys, who edged World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s remaining, made a number of adjustments to her recreation, most notably her serve, and in addition modified racquets and strings within the low season.
However she additionally noticed a therapist, and she or he says that it was one of many issues that helped her really unlock her greatest self.
“I lastly received to the purpose the place I used to be personally low sufficient that I used to be like, I do not actually care if this helps me carry out, I simply wish to really feel higher,” Keys mentioned of her remedy classes, which weren’t actually sport-specific.
Keys mentioned the remedy helped result in a lightbulb second that allowed her to handle her nerves higher than ever earlier than.
“For no matter motive, it was sort of similar to this mild bulb second the place I began actually shopping for into, I will be nervous and I can nonetheless play good tennis. These issues can stay collectively,” she mentioned. “So I finished combating, attempting to push away the emotions and pretending that they don’t seem to be there and simply accepting them and actually telling myself that they are effective and so they’re completely regular to be there, and I can nonetheless play tennis.”
Greater than something, Keys made strides in her personal thoughts, and at last accepted her profession for what it was. There wasn’t a Grand Slam title on her resume, however did it actually matter? She determined that her profession was distinctive, with a Slam or with out..
“I believe all the things sort of occurs for a motive,” she mentioned. “I believe for me particularly, I sort of needed to undergo some powerful issues. I believe it simply sort of compelled me to take a look at myself within the mirror a bit of bit and attempt to work on [dealing with] inner strain that I used to be placing on myself.
“From a reasonably younger age, I felt like if I by no means received a Grand Slam, then I would not have lived as much as what individuals thought I ought to have been. That was a reasonably heavy burden to sort of carry round. So I lastly received to the purpose the place I used to be happy with myself and happy with my profession, with or with no Grand Slam. I lastly received to the purpose the place I used to be okay if it did not occur. I did not want it to really feel like I had profession or that I deserved to be talked about as an awesome tennis participant.
“I really feel like lastly letting go of that sort of inner discuss that I had simply gave me the power to truly exit and play some actually good tennis to truly win a Grand Slam.”