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QATAR TOTAL OPEN


February 13, 2018


Madison Keys


Doha, Qatar

M. KEYS/Q. Wang

6-1, 6-4

Q. Good opening match for you. I mean second set it looked like you were struggling a little bit with maybe energy or stuff. Could you just kind of talk through the match?
MADISON KEYS: I feel like I played a really good first set and then second set I had that bad service game and then kind of had to give myself a pep talk to get it back together. But I feel like after I did, everything kind of went really well. I felt like it was déjà vu from Australia, but happy to get the win.

Q. How are these conditions for you? I mean everybody is giving different takes on kind of whether the ball is flying, whether the court is fast or slow, all these sorts of things. How is it playing for you and do you think it feeds into your game?
MADISON KEYS: I think it's playing fairly fast. I definitely think that the ball is flying a bit quicker. I think that totally plays into my game. I love fast court. So I'm definitely not going to be one that's complaining about it.

Q. This is your first time here. What do you think about Doha and the Middle East and the culture? Do you like the tournament?
MADISON KEYS: I think the tournament is great. I'll be 100 percent honest with you, besides the hotel, here and I ventured out one day for a walk, I haven't done anything. But I do really love it here. Everyone seems super friendly and nice. And hopefully I can be here for a while and actually get to see some part of it.

Q. Are you following the winter Olympics at all?
MADISON KEYS: A bit. I've tried to watch some. After your tweeting the other day, I started watching curling.

Q. You're welcome.
MADISON KEYS: I was like, this is the team that Courtney loves! And I was like super into it at the end.

Q. I was up till 6 watching it. So yeah.
MADISON KEYS: I noticed that you were like, "the sun is up, I'm going to go to bed." I'm like, that was an hour ago. (Laughs) I've watched some of the snowboarding as well. Try to catch bits and pieces when I can.

Q. Is there a winter sport that you would love to do that if you could compete at the winter Olympics and be good at it you'd pick that one?
MADISON KEYS: I wish I could snowboard. I've never attempted it.

Q. Really?
MADISON KEYS: I skied when I was really little, but I haven't done it since. But I desperately wish that I could snowboard. And the day that I retire I'm going to go find some snow and like strap myself into a snowboard and probably eat it 15 times. But I just want to be like really cool. They all seem super cool and down to earth and just want to be like, "sup, guys."

Q. And the next match against CiCi so all American. Talk about what you expect in that one and if there are any particular pressures playing younger Americans, kind of wanting to be the alpha American?
MADISON KEYS: You were going to say veteran, weren't you?

Q. No. I wasn't going to say veteran. I never use it with you.
MADISON KEYS: I'm looking forward to playing CiCi. It's always hard when you play someone that you literally see every single day when you're training. But it was bound to happen eventually. She's going to play well. She makes a ton of balls, isn't going to really give me any mistakes. So I'm going to have to play really well and try to control the point. And as far as pressures go, I don't think it's any different than playing another young good player. Doesn't really matter where they're from. They're all really good, always trying to beat you. So it'll be a fun match.

Q. That's what you get for being a veteran.
MADISON KEYS: I know. It's ninth year on tour.

Q. So you're just 22, but the veteran thing has now come up. Do you consider yourself a mentor for players that are younger and even just like young girls? Obviously you've done FearlesslyGiRL. How do you get to that role so early?
MADISON KEYS: I have always just tried to be that person that if there is a question and someone's asking it, to be the person that could help out. I had Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs when I was first on tour pretty much totally take over and help me get from like point A to point B, and without them I would have been a disaster for the first couple of years on tour. So that was so important to me to have that, that if I could be helpful in any way to any of the girls on tour, then great.

And as far as FearlesslyGiRL, I think being a big sister I've kind of naturally fell into that role where if there's ever any questions, I obviously don't have all of the answers or even all of the right answers, but just my, you know, maybe my side of things or my perspective might help them with any issues that they're having. So I just -- I feel like if I can help in the slightest way, then why not.

Q. Off the mentoring thing, you know, I think from the outside looking in people think of mentorship as like talking to you about the game and the tennis and how to become a better tennis player, but obviously I would think that there would be kind of the small things, like when you're at this -- don't stay at this hotel, stay at that hotel at this tournament, eat here, don't eat there. What are the overlooked things or things that maybe fans don't know about where veteran players kind of help the younger players sort those kinds of things out?
MADISON KEYS: I think it's just the little things more than tennis. I'm definitely not going to try to tell anyone how to play tennis. I understand that most people look at the way I play tennis and think I'm nuts. So I'm not going to try to push that on someone else.

Exactly. You know, you stay at this hotel, this one's better or don't go here, go here. Just little things like that or even just things of, hey, this would be a great week if like a friend or your mom can come. Like have them come here. Just little bits of information where if you've never been there before, you'd have no idea. Just little things like that can help so much.

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