Madison Keys embracing Wimbledon ‘opportunity with US expectations set to rise
Madison Keys had to wait two extra hours to start her Wimbledon match on Wednesday, but, once she got started, there was little stopping her.
With light drizzle ushering in the end of the heatwave that loomed over SW19 across the opening two days, the 30-year-old was not on court until early afternoon for her match against Olga Danilovic.
Serbian Danilovic is a big, aggressive hitter, but few play that game as well as Keys, and the American was in sublime form in a 6-4, 6-2 triumph that took just 75 minutes to complete.
Keys’ impressive Round 2 win on Wednesday came after a dramatic opening round of action at the All England Club, in which she scraped past Elena-Gabriela Ruse in three tight sets.
However, across the men’s and women’s singles draws, 23 seeds were not so lucky – including the two US women currently above Keys in the WTA Rankings.
World No 3 Jessica Pegula was beaten by Elisabetta Cocciaretto early on Tuesday, before the day concluded with world No 2 Coco Gauff falling to Dayana Yastremska.
Keys is now the highest-ranked US woman left in the draw, and also one of the highest-ranked full stop, with fifth seed Zheng Qinwen also beaten on Tuesday.
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It has been nine years since Serena Williams became the last American to lift the singles title at the All England Club, a wait US tennis fans will be keen to end sooner rather than later.
So, with Gauff and Pegula already heading home, have American expectations switched to Keys?
The American refuses to look too far ahead, particularly after nearly exiting the tournament herself so early on.
“I kind of dodged a bullet myself in the first round, and I feel like getting through that was kind of my own personal battle that I had to kind of get through,” said Keys post-match.
“I feel like once I was able to do that, even seeing all of the results that have kind of happened the last two days, kind of adds a little bit to the nerves, but I feel like for myself I kind of feel like I already got past it a little bit.
“So, yeah, just I feel like now I have an opportunity to kind of play some of my best tennis.”
The American is making her 11th appearance at the All England Club, though this is her first as a Grand Slam champion, having triumphed at the Australian Open in 2025.
Though expectations on top seeds are always likely to be high, Keys may have eased some potential pressure through her triumph in Melbourne back in January.
The 30-year-old beat both Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka to lift the title, with an important mental shift proving key to her success.
She added: “I think that the only thing that I have really kind of changed as far as my mentality within the matches is that I feel like in important points in the past, I would maybe try to play almost a little bit too passive.
“So I think now it’s just really going out and, honestly, my biggest goal when I go onto a tennis court is to walk off and know that I left it all out there, and I have no regrets on if I played the right way or if I went after the things that I wanted to go after.
“That’s kind of just my mentality all of the time, but I think it’s just even more highlighted in important moments.”
That kind of mentality could prove crucial on grass, on a surface where big-hitters can be rewarded if they are able to keep their game in check.
The majority of players on the WTA now employ an aggressive game style, though one exception is Laura Siegemund, the woman whom Keys next faces at SW19.
It is not an easy test on paper, but it is one the American is ready for.
“She’s [Siegemund] always a tricky player,” commented Keys.
“I think she’s super crafty, so I think grass highlights that for her, and I think kind of all of her tangibles become even more of a weapon, so I’m definitely going to have to be prepared for that.
“You just kind of know that you’re never really going to get the same ball twice, so if you go out looking for any sort of rhythm, you’re not going to find it.
“I think just kind of knowing that going into the match is half the battle. Then just having a really solid game plan on how to kind of approach each kind of individual ball that comes at you.”
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