When Madison Keys arrived in Rome last year, fresh off the first Grand Slam victory of her career, she was met with plenty of questions. But one in particular caught her attention: could she see herself becoming a tennis mom someday? Keys didn’t exactly shut the idea down, even offering a glimpse into how she viewed starting a family in the future. A year later, though, the same question came back, and this time, the American made her stance clear.

Keys was already dealing with the disappointment of a tough US Open exit, but that wasn’t the only thing waiting for her after leaving New York. The former Australian Open champion soon found herself at the center of pregnancy speculation, and it was clear she had had enough of people weighing in on her private life.

“I will say, if people could stop assuming and/or asking me if I’m pregnant, that would be super fun. That’s, like, the number one comment I keep getting post-US Open,” Keys said on The Player’s Box podcast.

She further added, “Um, but yeah, I’ve had a lot of questions about if I’m pregnant, and I’m not, first of all. And second of all, if I was, it was no one’s business. So, thanks so much.”

Pregnancy rumors were only part of the chaos surrounding Keys in New York. Her US Open run turned into a survival act almost immediately. After cruising past Alina Korneeva in straight sets, she found herself staring at elimination against Anna Bondar, trailing 2-5 in the deciding set and facing five match points. Somehow, Keys escaped, forcing a tiebreak and completing a dramatic comeback to keep her tournament alive.

Then came the collapse against Zheng Qinwen. Keys led 5-0 in the deciding set and held match point at 5-1, but still lost as Zheng reeled off seven straight games.

The frustration was obvious. Keys even hit herself on the head with her racket as the match unraveled, a moment that summed up just how quickly control disappeared.

“Obviously, my second round was psychotic. Crazy match. And then I had a rough third round against Qinwen,” Keys said on the podcast. “Then I had a little bit of a meltdown in press, which everyone got to watch. So that was tough. Yeah, I’m just trying to figure out my life after that.”

In fact, during the 2025 Italian Open presser, the American praised tennis moms on the tour for balancing the sport while embracing motherhood. She said, “I think it’s amazing that there are so many moms on Tour. I think that the support of the Tour is incredible, that there have been so many opportunities for so many women to start a family and come back and still have the sport.”

Speaking of her own plans, Keys then added, “I don’t know if that’s going to be me. I haven’t gotten that far yet. We’ll see, we’ll see one day, and then I’ll have a better answer for you. I’ve obviously really enjoyed having Bjorn be my coach the past couple of years. It definitely wasn’t something that we were planning, but it’s nice to actually see your husband every day. So that’s a bonus.”

However, Keys is not the only American star who has had to shut down pregnancy speculation.

Jessica Pegula faced pregnancy rumors in 2024 after missing Doha and Dubai with a neck injury. With fans questioning whether there was another reason for her absence, Pegula ended the speculation herself with a blunt Instagram post: “Not pregnant. Lol.”

Moreover, Keys had spoken about the idea of balancing motherhood with life on Tour long before the pregnancy rumors surfaced after her Flushing Meadows exit this year.

Madison Keys Didn’t Sugarcoat the Reality of Motherhood on Tour

Back in 2025, Keys had already made her position on motherhood clear. On The Player’s Box last year, she praised players who returned after pregnancy but admitted she could not see herself traveling the Tour with a baby.

“I also feel like I have a hard enough time traveling and like keeping myself on a schedule,” Keys said. “I can’t imagine adding a baby to that like for all people involved.”

Her point was simple. The Tour already demands constant travel, packed schedules and weeks away from home, and Keys has spoken openly about how difficult the mental side can become. After her collapse against Zheng in New York, she admitted that fear took over on court when she was just one point away from winning.

That loss also fit a frustrating pattern in 2026. Keys won the Eastbourne title, but her Grand Slam season was filled with painful exits.

Jessica Pegula ended her Australian Open title defense in the fourth round, Diana Shnaider handed her a 6-0 deciding set at Roland Garros, and Linda Noskova beat her in straight sets in the Wimbledon fourth round despite Keys fighting back from 3-0 down in the second.