ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 14, 2026

Madison Keys

Press Conference

M. KEYS/ T. Valentova

6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Madison, congrats on the win today. Can you share your thoughts on the match.

MADISON KEYS: I think overall it was a pretty good match today. Definitely got a little bit better in the second set, and kind of was able to run away with it. But she's a very talented young player, and I'm sure that we'll see much more of her.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. In the first set there was a few double-faults, obviously. Was that the ball toss, or just getting used to the conditions? Was that frustrating? What was happening in your mind there?

MADISON KEYS: It was definitely frustrating (smiling). I think the ball toss just was getting a little bit too far out in front of me. Yeah, I think I was able to kind of figure that out and reel that back in the second set.

Q. What pleased you most about the second set? Was it the fact that you sort of problem solved that serve, or forehand, or what was most impressive in your mind?

MADISON KEYS: I think in the second set obviously probably solving the second serve a bit. But I think the first serve also got a little bit more effective and I was able to do a little bit more damage with it, just kind of create a little bit more opportunities on those first balls.

Then I think being able to kind of take advantage of those early break opportunities and really get a lead I think kind of helped me just take the momentum and keep running with it.

Q. When you walk out on center court here does it feel like a happy place for you? Do you get that feeling straight away, seeing you've had success here particularly last year and before that?

MADISON KEYS: Definitely. I have always really enjoyed playing here. It's a great court on top of everything. It just feels like really great conditions. And then obviously having all of those really great memories is kind of icing on the cake.

Q. Your next opponent is the young Canadian. You haven't played her yet, but she's come from out of nowhere last year to rocket up the rankings. What's your thoughts on that match coming up?

MADISON KEYS: I'm actually quite looking forward to it. She is a very, very good player. Even before she won her title in Canada she was on some insane like 20-something match win streak. So definitely everyone's kind of had their eyes out for her a little bit.

It's going to be a really tough match. It's always really difficult playing some of these younger players who kind of just go for everything. It feels like they have no scar tissue yet, so they really just kind of swing for the fences. So it's always a unique experience, having been on the other side for so long, now being on the older side of things.

Q. You alluded to it there, talking about when you were previously that younger player, now you're obviously the veteran. In some ways how does being the veteran help you enter these matches against Victoria and Valentova today?

MADISON KEYS: I think that experience definitely helps. It's one of those things where they're obviously incredibly talented players, and at any moment can beat anyone.

But I also remember being their age and learning so much from playing the older players when I had those kind of matchups. And whether I won or I lost, I learned so much from them.

So I think, looking back, you think about how much you learned from each year on tour, and then being the veteran you get to have already experienced that. So I think it's just one of those things where you definitely try to use your learning experiences to the best of your ability and kind of use that to the advantage. But at the same time, they're also very good players, so tennis is tough that way.

Q. Is there one match or maybe two matches that when you were a late teenager, early 20s, that kind of like, Wow, that's kind of that match for me?

MADISON KEYS: I played, I think I was 15 or 16, and I played Patty Schnyder in Miami, when it was in Key Biscayne, on the court that was way in the back. I want to say it was like three sets, but she just veteraned the hell out of me that match (laughing).

I had so many opportunities, but she just stayed so tough, and just kind of knew that in the big moments that if she could just stay steady, then she was giving herself a better chance. It's just one of those matches that has stayed with me forever, just because I really look back and I just kind of laugh about it. Just because she was absolutely the experienced player on that court and it got her the win.

Q. With regard to this season, obviously it's pretty early on, you only played four matches so far. With what you focused on in the off-season and maybe in the gap between Brisbane and now, kind of what did you focus on maybe in that gap that you learned from those three matches, and how do you think it applied today? Obviously it's different opponents, but...

MADISON KEYS: I think that there's a lot that I'm continuing to try to work on. I think one of my big goals this year is to try to really push myself to implement the things that we're working on court in practice.

I think sometimes, getting in matches, it's so easy to just kind of fall back into what you're comfortable with and what feels easy. I think really kind of pushing myself to try the things that we've been doing in practice is really my goal. That's really been what I've tried to continue to work on in practice, but more so actually do in the matches. I feel like that's always kind of the hard part. But that's kind of my overall goal for the year.

Q. With regard to your match today, obviously it was someone new for you, and she won 75 percent of her points on her second serve. And it was pretty frequent, I think she only got 60 percent of her first serves in. As you play someone new, do you learn to take advantage of that second serve as it's kind of, I guess, ongoing, per se, since she's new and you have no background of playing her?

MADISON KEYS: I was able to see some of her stats obviously because she's played on some big courts now. So I definitely had that advantage of I was able to actually watch some of her. I was also able to kind of see some patterns that she had.

But I think in a matchup like this you really want to try to take advantage of any opportunity that you can pretty early on to try to keep the pressure on.

So today I felt like her first serve was pretty good. I felt like if I could get ahead in the second, on her second serve, then I was going to be able to put a little bit more pressure on her, and then maybe that starts making her think a little bit more on the first serve.

So it was definitely a very big point of mine today to make sure any time I had a second serve to really try to get ahead in the point.

Q. You had some tape on the hamstring. Is that something precautionary you're just managing at the minute, or what's that on the hamstring for?

MADISON KEYS: Oh, on the outside? Yeah, just some precautionary stuff. I feel like it's always a lot easier to try to prevent than to manage.