Nineteen-year-old American Madison Keys says her goal this season is to reach the second week of Grand Slam tournaments for the first time. Lindsay Davenport began to work with her in November, and in their first match together, Keys upset Dominika Cibulkova in the first round at Brisbane.
Keys says she would like to become more consistent. Last June, she won her first title in Eastbourne, but after that reached just one quarterfinal, at the final tournament of the season in Osaka.
“I think last year there would be times where I would play really well and times when I did not play very well,” Keys said. “So I think just having a more consistent game, and when I'm not playing my best, having a 'B Game' or 'C Game' that isn't terrible. I'm playing really well or I'm playing badly, trying to find a middle ground for the days where it's not working."
Keys trained in Southern California with Davenport and her husband, Jon Leach. She says she is faster now than she was before.
"[Lindsay] has been great," Keys said following her win against Cibulkova. "It's really cool having the perspective of someone who has gone through it, and also someone who plays similar to me. So just having her guidance has been really helpful. We've just been practicing a lot, staying low, working on movement, and I think it kind of showed today."
Currently ranked No. 30, Keys says she wants to climb higher up the rankings. "I've never made it to the second week of a Grand Slam, so right now that's my biggest goal, making second week and kind of moving on from there," she said. "It's also a goal of mine just to finish above where I finished last year."