Walking back into Melbourne Park now comes with a different feeling for Madison Keys. For the first time in her career, the American returns to the Australian Open carrying the weight and wonder of being the defending champion, a role she is learning to enjoy as much as respect.
Keys lifted her maiden Grand Slam trophy at the tournament last year, and the sights around the venue have only recently begun to sink in. From photographs to permanent engravings, reminders of her breakthrough run are now part of the Australian Open landscape, moments she describes as surreal and deeply personal.
“There’s a really cool photo of me holding the trophy. Getting to see those, it’s something you dream of in your career,” she told reporters.
One particular ritual is still on her to-do list: seeing her name etched among past champions. “I have not seen my name in the tunnel yet. I hope I can go in there when there’s no one else so I can take a picture and send it to my mom.
“I’ve always remembered walking through that tunnel and seeing all the names and everything. It was a little bit of a pinch-me moment where I was like, ‘Wow, I’m going to be up there.’”
Now 30, Keys knows the expectations that come with defending a Grand Slam title. Her path to the trophy last year included statement wins over world number two Iga Swiatek and then top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals and final respectively. While the pressure is real, she says this phase of her career is also something she wants to fully experience.
“Even though I’ve been on tour for a long time, this is also still my first experience as that (defending champion),” she said. “I’m really trying to just kind of embrace that and take it in and soak it in. Because often we look back and regret that even in the hard moments, we didn’t find the fun parts of it.”
Despite the magnitude of her achievement, Keys insists her life away from the court has remained largely unchanged. “It’s funny; everyone keeps asking me how my life has changed. It hasn’t changed that much, other than I have a really cool trophy at home,” she added. I have a lot of people that come up to me and tell me winning made them cry. I never thought I would have that ability. I think it’s just really been cool as an athlete to have had that impact on so many people.”
Seeded ninth this year, Keys opens her title defence against Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova. Beyond immediate results, she says the off-season was about pushing personal boundaries and evolving her game.
“One of my big goals this year is to force myself to be a little bit uncomfortable on court and try to actually implement some of the things we’re working on, as uncomfortable as those are in those big moments,” she said. “That’s really just been my goal all off-season, trying to learn new things.”
As she begins another Australian Open campaign, Keys is balancing ambition with appreciation, determined to compete fiercely while savouring the rare moments that come with being a Grand Slam champion.
