The road to Grand Slam glory is rarely a sprint, but a marathon of dedication and sacrifice. For Madison Keys, that marathon culminated in her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open. Shortly after clinching the title, she made an emotional “phone call” to her mother, who, initially speechless with pride, found herself at a loss for words. Naturally, even a month after her 30th birthday, which came hot on the heels of her major victory, she’s still grappling with the idea of being a grown-up.

Keys’ parents, Rick and Christine Keys, sacrificed a lot to help their daughter reach this stage. Her father is an attorney and former college basketball player, while her mother was also into the law as she was an attorney specializing in personal injury and workers’ compensation. To support her daughter’s dream, Christine had even paused her career for almost ten years and moved to Boca Raton, Fla. She eventually returned to law in 2015, but in 2022, she took on a new role as the president of her daughter’s charity, Kindness Wins. The American has now translated those efforts into words. 

During a recent interview with BNP Paribas Open, Madison Keys was asked what’s something other than tennis that she has an authority on. In reply to that question, Keys said, “I don’t think I’m an authority on anything, really. No one should really listen to anything that I say. I’m just here whining about it. I still call my mom all the time for most of the answers that I need. Umm…yeah, I’m just…I still can’t believe that I’m an adult and that people have left me in charge of anything.“

Speaking about her relationship with her daughter, Christine once said, “What I love most about our relationship is that we are on some sort of mental connection where I pretty much know what you’re thinking. We laugh and we have fun and we enjoy each other’s company … we have a mutual respect.” And truly so!

Madison Keys believes no one knows her better than her mom, and hence, she was the first one to whom she expressed her true feelings after that historic win. While recalling their emotional yet so hilarious conversation after the AO triumph, Keys said, “Honestly, it was funny. [She was] at a loss for words, followed by tears, followed by, ‘I’m so proud of you, you could do it!‘” She further added, “I mean, just, it was funny then. And I was like, ‘I am my mother’s child.’” Well, her parents aren’t her only home!

Talking about her team, the first name that would pop up is Bjorn Fratangelo, her husband and coach. From training her to giving her comfort in her lows, Fratangelo has been her real strength in this journey. After securing the victory, Keys was even seen rushing to her husband and giving her a tight hug, and tears rolled down her face as both of them embraced that historic moment in her career. Even her therapist, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, used to speak to her frequently to give her support and encourage her to win tougher battles. Madison Keys’ physio Fujimoto Epperson and former NFL player Reshard Langford worked tirelessly for months to keep her fit for these big tournaments.

Speaking on Langford and his team’s role in her success, Keys admitted, “I’m incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing people who challenge me both physically and mentally while also pushing me to embrace my most vulnerable self.” Even during her AO victory speech, Keys said, “My team believed in me every step of the way so, thank you so much. They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself and helped me every step of the way.”

Keys has been turning her dreams into a reality in 2025, and guess what? She’s now standing just a few steps away from re-creating yet another historic moment in her career. What’s it?

Madison Keys is now the last American woman standing at the 2025 Indian Wells Open

Following the exits of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula from the BNP Paribas Open, all eyes are now on Madison Keys. Can she carry the hopes of American tennis fans? Her recent victory over Donna Vekic in the Round of 16 has certainly fueled that optimism.

With this win, Keys joins an elite group, becoming only the fifth woman over 30 in the Open Era, alongside legends like Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, and Serena Williams, to achieve a 15-match winning streak at tour level. But what were her thoughts after securing this hard-fought victory?

Well, after this match, Keys was seen heaping praise on her opponent and sharing her thoughts on her own performance. “I think Donna played really well at the beginning. I felt like I wasn’t executing quite how I wanted to. Was really happy that I was able to kind of flip the script a little bit in the second set and kind of play a pretty solid third set,” said the world number 5.

Madison Keys put together a career-best quarterfinal at 2022 Indian Wells, but she was defeated by the eventual champion, Iga Swiatek. This time, she’s all set to face the in-form Swiss Belinda Bencic, who is fresh off her victory over Coco Gauff. Both of them currently share an H2H record of 2-2. Who will win this epic QF clash? If Gauff wins, she will be the first American woman to win this tournament since Serena Williams in 2001.