Madison Keys, into her second consecutive US Open semifinal and third grand slam final four in the last five majors, said she is now better managing her emotions and handling big occasions.
Keys spoke after defeating Carla Suárez Navarro 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday to put her one match from reaching the final in New York for a second consecutive year.
“I am doing whatever I can to put myself in the position to go deeper into slams,” she said. “I think I’m feeling more comfortable in those big moments and like matches like tonight. Just training hard the week before and trying to not put too much pressure on myself has really helped me do that.”
The 23-year-old American has found her greatest success on the biggest stages. She reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open this year, three years after bursting into the sport’s mainstream with a semifinal appearance in Melbourne. She had her biggest breakthrough on clay this year, reaching the final four at Roland Garros.
For an American player, however, second week matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium offer the most oppressive boilerplate of nerves. And in her seventh US Open, Keys appears to be figuring out how to navigate it.
“I’ve gotten a lot better managing my emotions once it gets to this part and knowing that everything is going to be probably more amped up, and not shying away from those but just really being honest about it and talking about it,” she added. “I’m embracing the moment. Just trying to remind myself to actually have fun and enjoy the experience.”
That appeared to be an issue in 2017. After a stirring run to the final, which she entered as a modest favorite, Keys collapsed against fellow American Sloane Stephens. Overcome by nerves, Keys could not find the court and was shut out the second set, falling 6-3, 6-0.
Keys, the No. 14 seed this year, referenced several late-night finishes and emotional rollercoasters that may have caught up to her in that final. But she also admitted that a shift in mentality has helped her win 10 of 11 sets through five matches and may put her in better position to claim a maiden grand slam title.
“I have had some big moments that before I was losing and was probably putting too much pressure on myself,” she said. “[It’s] just learning from those experiences, just having a better mentality about the whole situation and remembering what my game plan is and just focusing on that instead of the actual occasion.”