Editor’s note: Starting Monday, Oct. 20, we’re publishing Road to the WTA Finals, an eight-part snapshot of the qualifiers and the form they bring to Riyadh. Check back all week for new installments.

More from the WTA Finals

Heading into the 2025 season, Madison Keys had carved out a nice career for herself in professional tennis. For the past decade, she had hovered in and around the top 10 of the PIF WTA Rankings, won eight titles and collected tens of millions in prize money and endorsements.

But when it came to the Grand Slams, she could never quite make it across the finish line. Increasingly, that hole in Keys’ resume challenged her notions of self-worth and came to overshadow her view of her success.

But with the support of her husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo, and the help of therapy, Keys entered the year with a new frame of mind. Free of the need to win a major title, she scored a personal breakthrough in Australia.

It started in Adelaide, where Keys took the 500 title. And then, on the cusp of her 30th birthday, she raced through the draw at the Australian Open, defeating Elena Rybakina in the fourth round, Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, and Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. In a dramatic final, she outlasted two-time defending champion and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. 

Keys saved a match point against Swiatek and took down Sabalenka 7-5 in the deciding set.

Keys also reached the semifinals of the Miami Open and produced a solid clay-court season, reaching the quarterfinals in both Madrid and Roland Garros. There was another quarterfinal berth in Montreal, and a fourth-round showing in Cincinnati before Keys lost her first-round match to Renata Zarazua at the US Open.

That match came on Aug. 25, and Keys hasn’t played since. When Keys steps on the court in Riyadh, it will be her first action in more than two months. She should be rested, recharged and ready to go.

Keys’ 2025 Season By the Numbers

2025 Record: 37-13

2025 Titles (2): Adelaide (500), Australian Open (Grand Slam)

Previous WTA Finals appearance: 2016 (lost in the group stage)

Best WTA Finals Result: In her lone WTA Finals appearance in Singapore nearly a decade ago, Keys went 1-2, beating Dominika Cibulkova and losing to Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep.

Defining Moment of 2025: Winning the Australian Open for her first Grand Slam singles title.

Notable Stat: Before that career-altering victory in Melbourne, Keys had played in 45 main singles draws at the majors. She had reached four quarterfinals, five semifinals and one final (the 2017 US Open), which she lost to fellow American Sloane Stephens 

Defining Quote of 2025: “I still really wanted to win a Grand Slam. I just wasn’t lying in bed at night thinking I’m a failure if I don’t win one anymore. At the end of the day, I want to win every tournament that I’m in the draw of. I feel like I’m getting a lot better with that being enough, and that being OK, and I can just play tennis. As long as I can continue to want to win matches and tournaments and not need them, then I think things will be good.” — Keys after winning the Australian Open

What This Title Would Mean (+ What to Watch for in Riyadh)

Greg Garber: It’s been nine years since Keys played in her first and only year-end championship. She’s a very different player — and person — from the 21-year-old who cracked the Top 10 for the first time and was the youngest player in the Top 20. Riyadh is the reward for her perseverance and represents the well-deserved opportunity to take a victory lap with the world watching. 

Brad Kallet: Keys is perhaps the player I’m most looking forward to watching in Riyadh — in part because it’s been a minute since we’ve last seen her on court, and because it’s so remarkable that she’s returning to the WTA Finals nearly a decade later. The last time she played the Finals, she was in the mix with names like Halep, Kerber, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Garbiñe Muguruza — names that, at this point, feel like they’re from a different era.

Now she returns as a veteran, one of the most respected players on the Hologic WTA Tour and a Grand Slam champion. To come back and win this tournament, and to bookend 2025 with an Australian Open title and Finals win, would be a great story.