Madison Keys credited therapy as one of the things that helped her become a Grand Slam champion as the American revealed that she called her therapist in the middle of the Happy Slam because she needed to talk about some things.
On Saturday, the American landed her maiden Major trophy just a month before her 30th birthday after beating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 2-6 7-5 in the final.
However, that wasn’t her lone big win of the tournament since she also defeated Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina and Danielle Collins.
But before all of those big wins, Keys just barely survived the Elena-Gabriela Ruse second-round meeting – she earned a narrow 7-6 (1) 2-6 7-5 victory.
After that match, the 29-year-old called her therapist.
“I called her and said that I was kind of just dealing with some things. And we were able to talk. And then we kind of just continued to text since then,” she revealed.
Madison Keys© Australian Open/Instagram – Fair Use
Keys says calling her therapists in the middle of a tournament isn’t something new for her
“There’s also the reality of: Sometimes, I’m like, ‘Hey, I need to talk mid-tournament.’ Sometimes it’s even just being able to go back and forth (with) someone that can just kind of provide some support,” the American said.
While the 2025 Australian Open champion isn’t new to therapy sessions, it took her some time before she found the right therapist.
“Never really found anyone that I quite connected with and clicked with. And then, I finally kind of pivoted and went with my current therapist,” Keys explained.
In her interview, the American tennis star also added that she believes the stigma around therapy is slowly fading away and also shared that she plans to have a therapist for the rest of her life.
Tennis World USA