Follow us on Google Discover Madison Keys is set to feature at the WTA Finals for just the second time in her career this weekend.
With her qualification this year, Keys is the player with the biggest gap between her first two appearances at the year-end competition, with her first time coming in 2016.
The American has enjoyed another impressive year on the WTA Tour, during which she clinched a maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
After emerging victorious at the Adelaide International, Keys put together a remarkable campaign in Melbourne, beating defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final to hold the trophy aloft.
Though she has not been able to add to her title tally since then, the 30-year-old has made deep runs at a number of big tournaments, including Indian Wells and Queen’s, which saw her collect enough points to punch her ticket to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the home of this year’s WTA Finals.
Madison Keys reflects on her 2025 season ahead of the WTA Finals
In an interview ahead of the WTA Finals, Keys was asked if she was satisfied with her 2025 season.
The Australian Open champion responded: “2025 has been arguably the best year of my career. I’ve had a lot of amazing tournaments, and winning a Grand Slam is obviously at the top of my list.
“Doing it later in my career has been something that I’m incredibly proud of, but again, there’s just that tennis player inside of me that wants a little bit more.”
In the Open Era, only Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta won their first major title older than Keys.
Madison Keys: Australian Open 2025 – 29 years, 343 daysFrancesca Schiavone: Roland Garros 2010 – 29 years, 346 daysFlavia Pennetta: US Open 2015 – 33 years, 199 days
She continued: “Am I fully satisfied? I don’t know if any of us ever will be, which is interesting because you hear people like Serena [Williams] or Novak [Djokovic] speak, and they always wanted more.
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, widely considered the greatest male and female tennis players of all time, have amassed 24 and 23 Grand Slam titles, respectively, with the Serb still active and searching for more.
“You look at their careers and think, you did everything. How could you possibly want more? So I think it’s just ingrained in all of us to really not be fully satisfied.”
Madison Keys’ last campaign at the WTA Finals
Keys’ last appearance at the WTA Finals came at the end of the 2016 season, during which she had made back-to-back WTA 1000 finals.
She reached the championship match at the Italian Open and the Canadian Open, but lost to Williams and Simona Halep.
Halep ended up being Keys’ first opponent at the WTA Finals, held in Singapore that year, and the Romanian handed her a straight set defeat in the group stage.
Then, Keys claimed her only win of the tournament against Dominika Cibulkova, before losing to Angelique Kerber in her third and final round-robin matchup, and ultimately exiting the event.
RoundOpponent (Seed)ResultScoreGroup StageSimona Halep (3)Loss2-6, 4-6Group StageDominika Cibulkova (7)Win6-1, 6-4Group StageAngelique Kerber (1)Loss3-6, 3-6Madison Keys’ 2016 WTA Finals campaign
This year, Keys has been grouped with Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova and Elena Rybakina.
She will take on Swiatek first, in what will mark an eighth career meeting between the two stars.