For Madison Keys, becoming an Australian Open semifinalist will not mean big changes. The teenager, who defeated Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams before meeting Serena Williams in the semifinals, plans to keep training and practicing in the same way, seeing it as a step towards bigger goals.
"I don't believe I have made it yet. When I'm standing there with a trophy for winning a major, then I can say I made it. Then, the next day I'll know I haven't and will want to go back and work harder to win more," she told a group of hometown locals in a public appearance.
A cheque for more than $500,000 and a Top 20 ranking accompanied her semifinal appearance, though she insists they will not make a big difference. "The ranking is great, but it doesn't change who I am," she said.
Keys noted that she only increased the goals she had set for herself once she reached the semifinals. "When I went to Australia, my focus was I wanted to get to the second week of a major for the first time," she said.
A thigh injury from the Australian Open led Keys to withdraw from Fed Cup.