Madison Keys admits she would be lying if she never had doubts whether she would ever have another shot at realising her Grand Slam dream.
It was more than seven years since her sole prior appearance in a major final at Flushing Meadows, and the closest she had gone since was when she stumbled in the 2023 US Open semifinals with the finish line in sight against Aryna Sabalenka.
Deep into a third set of an Australian Open final in a rematch with the now two-time reigning champion and world No.1, this was uncharted territory.
In her 46th attempt in a major campaign, Keys had to keep any intrusive thoughts at bay – as much as a ferocious competitor bidding to complete the first Melbourne Park three-peat since Martina Hingis 26 years ago – when a match point went begging.
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In her finest two hours and two minutes at Rod Laver Arena, the 29-year-old never blinked again. She stepped up and finally delivered.
“I felt like from a pretty young age, I felt like if I never won a Grand Slam, then I wouldn't have lived up to what people thought I should have been. That was a pretty heavy burden to kind of carry around,” Keys said following the 6-3 2-6 7-5 victory.
“So I finally got to the point where I was proud of myself and proud of my career, with or without a Grand Slam. I finally got to the point where I was okay if it didn't happen. I didn't need it to feel like I had a good career or that I deserved to be talked about as a great tennis player.
“I feel like finally letting go of that kind of internal talk that I had just gave me the ability to actually go out and play some really good tennis to actually win a Grand Slam.”
That US Open decider in 2017 ended in a nerve-racked, error-strewn defeat to good friend Sloane Stephens, unable to salvage a game in the second set of a 61-minute demolition.
On Saturday, Stephens was among the first to offer her congratulations from afar.
The capitulation, having served for victory only for Sabalenka to reel her in at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the 2023 US Open semifinals had long haunted Keys.
This performance dispelled any lingering hang-ups.
Sabalenka was the first on court to offer her congratulations.
“Of course, I know how to play against her, but in this match I couldn't really do my stuff,” Sabalenka said. “She just played incredible.”
It was the toughest of draws. Three-set triumphs over 2023 Wimbledon champion, sixth seed Elena Rybakina, and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina preceded her match-point saving feat against world No.2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.
It made Keys the first to deny the world’s top two-ranked women at a major since Svetlana Kuznetsova at Roland Garros in 2009, and the first at the Australian Open since Serena Williams in 2005.
She was the first to save a match point on their way to winning a major since Swiatek at Roland Garros last year, and the first at Melbourne Park since Naomi Osaka in 2021.
“I just feel like it's one of those things that slowly keeps building. All of a sudden you're winning a bunch of matches in Adelaide,” she said in reference to her title run leading in.
“Then you're coming in here. I think winning that match the other night against Iga was really kind of a big hurdle where I felt like – I always believed that I could do it. But to do it that way … I thought to myself after the match that I can absolutely win on Saturday.”
Touted as a future world No.1 for her explosive all-court game and athleticism, Keys said chatter anointing her as a Grand Slam champion in the making first started at age 11 or 12.
Following a first tour-level match win at 14, they only intensified, but words that were intended to build confidence gradually induced panic with each passing major and every passing year.
“Lots of therapy, I really kind of bought into it,” Keys said of her turnaround. “I think in the past I had always kind of tried to go the sports therapy route where it was more about routine and controlling things you can control and all of that.
“I felt like I was always good enough at that, but to really start kind of digging in on how I felt about myself and really being honest with myself about it, it was really hard because I didn't really want to be the person that felt like I was really struggling, but I was starting to really struggle with it.
“So just being really honest and actually getting help and actually talking to someone, and not just about tennis but about how I felt about myself … I honestly think that had I not done that, then I wouldn't be sitting here.”