Madison Keys won the 2025 Australian Open, her first, and now she is 30 years old and back in the limelight.
The 2026 tournament starts on Monday. To be effective again, she will have to hit it right on the lines.
While she isn’t that fast but her huge forehand, backhand and return can crush it. She can get very frustrated when she is missing. Then she won’t back down, and will continue to flail at it. On the hot Aussie courts, she can be patient and trust her legs. OK, she can be mediocre at the net, but she can be terrific when moving forward and attacking the ball.
Last year, she beat Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka with huge forehands.
“I don’t really focus on other people’s expectations of me. I only care what my own expectations are,” she said.
To repeat in Melbourne she will have to face a bevy of Americans who are playing top 6 tennis: Amanda Anisimova, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. Gauff has won two majors. Anisimova reached two finals and Pegula rose to one.
Gauff said, “Always dream big, and don’t let anyone limit your dreams because the possibilities are endless.”
Anisimova sits as top American woman
The current No. 3, Anisimova was in the ’25 Wimbledon and US Open finals, but she failed. In fact, in London, she lost 6-0, 6-0 to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon on the grass. Ugh.
“Pain can burn you up or redeem you,” she said.
But then she rose up quickly to advance to the final in Flushing Meadows in September. It was tight in the second set, but the No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka outhit her.
“It’s been a great summer,” Anisimova said. “[Making two Grand Slam finals in a row] is great, but it’s also super hard. I think I didn’t fight hard enough for my dreams today.”
The odd thing is that she knocked out Swiatek in the quarters in New York. Strange.