Madison Keys of the U.S. reacts during a press conference after defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship to win the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
MELBOURNE – The first person Madison Keys sent a message to after winning the Australian Open for her first Grand Slam title on Saturday was her mother.
“Because,” a smiling Keys said, “of course you have to text Mom first.”
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One of the others the 29-year-old American quickly reached out to was her therapist. Keys credits their conversations over the past 1 1/2 years with helping her in life, generally — understanding herself, discovering what truly matters — but also on a tennis court, whether it comes to accepting that nerves will arrive during a match or deciding she would be OK with never winning a major trophy.
Keys said during an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday that she and her therapist “talked a lot” during this trip overseas, including after a narrow victory over qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round last week.
“I called her and said that I was kind of just dealing with some things. And we were able to talk,