FCI Staff Writer Sacramento 
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September 27, 2023,
It is so easy to root for the American star Madison Keys.
Even if it can be a little frustrating.
Previous to the 2023 US Open, for years, it appears that Madison was underachieving.
Maybe the problem is us as fans. Maybe we expected too much.
After surging into the finals to face Sloane Stephens at the 2017 US Open, many thought that Madison would keep ascending and win her own Grand Slam Title but thus far, that has not happened.
Now, six years later, she had a chance to finally win her first Grand Slam title but was eliminated in the semi-finals by Aryna Sabalenka.
As reported by the global news and information source bbc.com, “The drama was confined to the tennis court in the second semi-final where Australian Open champion Sabalenka dug deep to beat Madison Keys 0-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (10-5) and prevent an all-American showpiece in New York.”
It was an incredible match and Madison certainly had her chances to win this one, after handily winning the first set 6-0. Once Aryna found her range, her power was way too much for Madison.
The irony is that Madison has a reputation as being a power hitter, rightly so, but in watching the match, it was clear Madison’s power was not remotely on par with Aryna’s.
That is challenging news for the American star, who couldn’t do what fellow American Coco Gauff did accomplish, which was to use power, but far more effective strategy, to defeat Aryna in the finals and win the US Open.
It was as though Madison hit a ceiling.
She seemed (and at this point, seems) to know only one gear. Only have Plan A, and that is to hit away.
Most recently at the Guadalajara Open Akron, Emma Navarro defeated Madison, seeded number four, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) to reach the last 16 of the tournament. During the match, Madison double faulted 5 times.
Another consistent flaw with Madison’s game.
But, in many ways, this should be a celebration. After 6 years of toiling, at times, filled with some frustration, Madison made it to a US Open semi-final. That in itself is an incredible accomplishment.
Madison has plenty of those.
Incredible accomplishments.
Time for a resume check.
According to the WTA website, as of this September 26, 2023, writing, Madison is ranked number 12 in the world.
Exceptional.
More details, please.
Madison has been ranked as high as world No. 7 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which she first achieved in October 2016.
Madison has competed in a Major singles final at the 2017 US Open, competed at the 2016 WTA Finals, and was a semifinalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She has won seven WTA Tour tournaments, six of which were at the Premier level, and won her biggest title at the 2019 Cincinnati Open, a Premier 5 event.
Her hitting style and thought process really came into play in her match against Aryna.
Known for a fast serve and one of the most powerful forehands in the game, Madison has used her aggressive playing style to become one of the leaders of her generation of American tennis players.
We would love to see her balance that out with more net play and strategically hard and off speed ground strokes.
Now for some milestones.
She debuted in the top 10 of the WTA rankings in 2016, becoming the first American woman to realize this milestone since Serena Williams 17 years earlier.
When Madison and Sloane Stephens faced off against each other in the 2017 US Open final, they became the first American women other than the Williams sisters to contest a major singles final since 2005.
This too.
Madison has had success on all surfaces, winning at least one title on each and having reached at least the quarterfinals of all four majors.
Very impressive.
What is also impressive is her work and passion outside of tennis.
Madison is an ambassador for Fearlessly Girl, an organization dedicated to fighting bullying and cyber-bullying, with a focus on reaching out to high school girls.
Let’s meet them.
At their home (fearlesslygirl.com) they educate, “Founded in 2011 by girl expert, speaker, author, podcaster and coach Kate Whitfield, FearlesslyGiRL has impacted over 100,000 young woman in schools and communities across North America through our groundbreaking FearlesslyGiRL Summit Assembly Program, partnered with brands like HBO, Dove, Evian & Instagram, been featured in Forbes, The New York Times and Vogue, hosted the worlds largest anti-bullying assembly, worked with Lindsey Vonn, Madison Keys and Amy Purdy and created #KinderGirlWorldDay, with a total media reach of 171 million!
At FearlesslyGiRL, we are dedicated to empowering young women and creating a world where kindness is at the forefront in our homes, schools, communities and businesses.”
The world could sure use a lot more of that.
Very involved, Madison co-hosted the first summit for the group with founder Kate Whitfield in her hometown of Rock Island in 2016.
In February 2020, Keys relaunched Fearlessly Girl into a nonprofit organization called Kindness Wins.
In its mission statement, the organization is described as “a platform for kindness, with special emphasis on kindness to self, kindness to youth and kindness to others in times of struggle.” Kindness Wins looks to partner with other similarly minded groups, and to provide grants and support to people who are making the world a better place.
Really glad to hear that.
Also really glad to hear that Madison is making lots of green.
According to the WTA, Madison earned $2,356,458 in prize money in 2023.
Time to get out the cash register.
She has accumulated $17,316,870, in her glorious career.
Going forward, Madison appears to be healthy and we look forward to her progression towards a possibility of a spot in the WTA Finals along with her participation in the 2024 Australian Open in January.
It is so easy to root for Madison.
Sponsors love her.
Our luminary has been sponsored by Nike since she was 14 years old, who provide her with clothing and shoes.
Wilson is Madison’s racket sponsor. She helped launch the Wilson Ultra line of rackets in the middle of 2017 and specifically uses the Ultra Tour model.
There’s more.
Madison is the first American ambassador for the French water company, Evian, which Maria Sharapova also endorses.
In 2018, the American super star partnered with the contact lens brand Acuvue.
She has also endorsed Orangetheory Fitness, a company based in Boca Raton where Madison has been a long-time resident.
It is easy to see that Madison can be the complete package.
At only 28, we sense the best is yet to come.
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https://www.wtatennis.com/rankings/singles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Keys
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https://www.fcielitecompetitor.com/
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