"I have gotten to a point where if I don’t make make a quarter of a Slam or a tournament, it wasn’t good, and even then it’s still not great, it’s barely acceptable. So I’m pretty tough on myself."
This week, Madison Keys joins the TENNIS.com Podcast Inside the Tour with Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi. The world No. 17 talks about life in Lake Nona, Fla. (00:49) and how she went about furnishing her brand new home—which happens to be two doors down from Irina’s house (02:55).
Keys reveals the places she dreams of one day visiting as a tourist (06:20) and laments the struggles of New Years Eve colliding with the start of the season (08:25). The American, a 2017 US Open finalist and two-time Slam semifinalist last year, gives her brutally honest take on her past two years and lists her 2019 goals (09:49) as well as how she deals with her anxiety over tournaments (11:37).
We then get a little personal diving into the 23-year-old’s relationship with fellow pro Bjorn Fratangelo (13:31). She shares how she has adapted to becoming more famous, though she shies away from the term “celebrity” (17:37). The young American is using her growing social platform for good (19:35) and she tells us why she got involved with Fearlessly Girl (20:22) along with how she deals with keyboard warriors (21:56).
With her growing fame has come more commercial and photoshoot opportunities, as well as a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 (26:49). We close the episode on her strong friendship with 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens (30:18).