MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — First person Madison Keys sent a message later Winning the Australian Open First for that The Grand Slam Saturday’s headline was his mother.
“Because,” said a smiling Keyes, “of course you have to text mom first.”
One of the others 29-year-old American Rushed to his physician. Keys credits her conversations over the past 1 1/2 years with helping her in life, in general — understanding herself, discovering what really matters — but also on the tennis court, whether it’s to believe it or not. Whether the nerves will reach during the match or deciding. Will be okay with never winning a major trophy.
Keys said in an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday that she and her therapist “talked a lot” during the overseas trip, which included a second-round loss over qualifier Elena-Gabriela Russo last week. Even after a short victory.
“I called him and said I’m just dealing with some stuff. And we were able to talk,” Keys said. “And then we continued to text after that.”
They speak weekly or every other week during the season, when possible.
“There’s also the reality of it: Sometimes, I’m like, ‘Hey, I need to talk in the middle of the tournament,'” Keys explained. “Sometimes it’s just worth going (with) someone who can just kind of help.”
Keys said she first tried talking to a sports psychologist when she was around 18 or 19, then tried working with others.
“I’ve never really met anyone that I’ve connected enough with and clicked with,” he said. “And then, I finally kind of pivoted and went with my current therapist.”
during his news conference after the 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 victory No. 1 Aryna SabalenkaKeys recounted the ways in which therapy helped him move past concerns that might have prevented him from playing his best in the past. This included the notion that if she never won a major trophy, she would not live up to the expectations of others.
For him, Keys said, the process involved “just being really honest and actually getting help and actually talking to somebody — and not just about tennis, but about how I feel about myself. Again, very uncomfortable. I honestly don’t think I would be sitting here if I didn’t.
She noted that the WTA Women’s Tennis Tour has practitioners available on-site at tournaments but also suggested that something like this could be helpful to a lot of people, not just professional players.
“I think the stigma around therapy in general, not just in sports, is slowly starting to come away. I think everybody should be in therapy, no matter what. I think That helps,” Keyes said. “No matter what’s going on in your life, you’re going to have moments where things are hard and you need someone to talk to. I think that’s very important.”
He continued: “It’s something I’ll be doing for the rest of my life. If more people do it and more people talk about it, it just kind of becomes the norm. It It’s almost like you’re going to the doctor. I think it’s just kind of overkill for most people.
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Howard Fendrich has been an AP Tennis writer since 2002. Find their stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
