How can you tell that Madison Keys is turning into a seasoned pro? The 21-year-old’s blink-and-you-missed-it 6-3, 6-2 win over veteran clay-courter Mariana Duque-Marino on Thursday at the French Open was certainly a sign of a young talent playing up to her potential. But it was what Keys did after the match that showed real grace under pressure.
As is always the case at pro events, when the winner walked off the court she was immediately bombarded with screeching demands from the children in the stands. They wanted photos, autographs, racquets, bags; whatever they could get their hands on. Keys obliged by tossing a Roland Garros towel—not too shabby as far as swag goes—in the direction of a pair of boys who were clamoring in the first row.
Unfortunately, the towel landed between them, which started a violent tug of war for possession. When neither boy let go, the level-headed—and quick-thinking—Keys came to the rescue. She walked back to her bag, pulled out another towel and handed it to them. Tug of war over; now there was enough for everyone. With that problem solved, Keys turned to another teenager who was begging for a selfie and, without missing a beat, stuck out her tongue for the camera. Madison obviously knows what winning in the Millennial Age entails.
As of last month, though, it wasn’t clear exactly how much winning Keys was going to do in 2016. It had been a roller-coaster first three months of the year for her, with far more dips than peaks. Keys arrived at the Australian Open with a new coach in 28-year-old Jesse Levine, but soon suffered an adductor injury that kept her out for a month. When she returned, she briefly hired and fired Mats Wilander as a secondary adviser. Then she played so badly in Miami and Charleston that she went ahead and fired Levine, too.