Madison Keys has reflected on her return to the WTA Finals as she looks to prove she belongs amongst tennis’ elite.
After nine long years, Keys is back amongst tennis’ elite as she returns to the WTA Finals where she competes in Saudi Arabia.
It’s thoroughly deserved for Keys as she made her Grand Slam breakthrough at the start of the year as she won the Australian Open.
Now Keys is prepared for her first experience at the WTA Finals for nine years and reflected on her experience ahead of her campaign in Riyadh, “That was obviously an amazing experience,” Keys told the WTA website.
“It was all of the people that, growing up, were always at the top of the game. So just to be associated with all of them was a huge honor. After that I always wanted to make it back, so being here again, on the flip side of things, is really cool.”
Adding perspective has always been something that Keys has been really good at with the American making several adjustments as the years have gone on.
That hasn’t changed as Keys said that it is never too late for anything, “It’s never too late for anything,” Keys explained.
“I don’t think I would have believed that there would be a nine-year gap in the middle of it, but I’m playing some of my best tennis of my career. Sometimes as you start getting older, you start feeling like you’re running out of time. It’s been a little bit of a perspective change for me, where it’s like, there’s always time.”
Now, Keys is aiming to show she belongs as she starts her campaign against Iga Swiatek on Saturday afternoon at 15:00 GMT.
Whatever happens this week though, Keys is targeting a return to the WTA Finals, “It’s definitely something that I’ve had to step back and appreciate,” the American stated.
“I give myself a pat on the back for staying in the mix as long as I have, still being out here. I don’t want to say this is my last. Hopefully there’s more in the future. But yeah, I think it’s definitely giving myself a little bit of a pat on the back for being a 21-year-old, and now being plus nine.”
