Madison Keys was just 16 when she featured in her first US Open, and the home Grand Slam holds a special place in the now-29-year-old's tennis star's heart.
"It's truly the best, greatest feeling in the entire world," Keys told JWS last week. "I think there have been some of my most heartbreaking moments in front of a US Open crowd, but also some of my absolute most favorite, literally to the point of mid-match getting goosebumps."
Ahead of today's 2024 US Open kickoff, Keys commented on the power of the New York Slam's fans, saying, "The thing I've always loved about playing at the US Open is that, literally no matter how down and out you felt, the entire crowd was still there trying to get you through and push you through."
A chaotic 2024 sets up Keys's US Open appearance
The world No. 14 has had a rollercoaster 2024 season, missing the Australian Open due to injury before making solid finishes at WTA events in Miami, Madrid, and Strasbourg.
The Illinois product then suffered an injury at Wimbledon, withdrawing in the Round of 16 while in a winning position against eventual finalist Jasmine Paolini. "As devastating as that match against Jasmine was, it was also one of my favorite matches that I've played," she explained. "Just because I feel like we were both playing so well."
Her veteran perspective allowed Keys to calmly view the injury for what it was: a simple setback. "[Wimbledon] was really reassuring that I didn't do anything wrong," Keys said. "It wasn't this big thing that we had to worry about or manage. It was just really horrible timing."
"I've started to change my perspective on success and goals," she added. "At the end of every day, being able to say, 'Okay, did I accomplish my goal? If not, what were the lessons learned? How can I move forward with them?' I think that's honestly the best way to go about success in tennis."
Prioritizing health is vital to Keys's tennis career
The 2016 Rio Olympic semifinalist pulled out of the 2024 Paris Games in an effort to maintain her wellness and gear up for the season's final Slam — a decision she says was hard-won.
"It’s one of the greatest honors to be able to play for your country and play at an Olympics, and it was honestly one of my favorite tennis moments of my life," she said. "But I'm getting older — I've been on tour for a long time. They like to call me a veteran now, and I think you have to start shifting gears a little bit to prioritize the best schedule... to be able to maintain a high level and stay healthy."
At this stage in her career, Keys notes that every little thing matters, like putting nutrition and rest first in the run-up to another US Open while also partnering with supplement companies to boost her conditioning along the way.
"It's a lot about the details — we're constantly putting our bodies under insane amounts of stress and traveling," she said. "Being able to, like, literally not get a cold, something as small as that. I've been lucky to be able to partner with Thorne — that has been my absolute go-to — because if I can do all of the things right, I'm setting myself up for success.
"The other thing is prioritizing recovery, making sure that I have my whey protein, getting a good night's sleep, and being able to recover — those things are so important. Most people would think, 'Oh, it's about time in the gym and on the court.' That's obviously really important, but it's all of the little details that create the full picture."
Recognizing that pacing her seasons and listening to her body will help protect her health and, ultimately, her career, Keys is clear on her path forward. "At this point in my career, my biggest goal is I want to play tennis for as long as I want to play tennis," she said. "I don't want some outside force to be the reason that I have to step away from the game."
Czech tennis player Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini in three sets on Saturday to capture her first Wimbledon championship.
Krejcikova outlasted Italy's Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to take the championship. The 28-year-old previously won the singles title at the 2021 French Open, as well as doubles titles at all four Grand Slams at least once.
Wimbledon finals players break into WTA top 10
After Saturday's results, Krejcikova moved from No. 32 in the WTA rankings to No. 10, returning to the top 10 for the first time in six months. Wimbledon runner-up Paolini jumped from No. 7 to No. 5, a new career-high ranking.
Paolini also made waves by becoming the first woman since Serena Williams to reach both the Wimbledon and French Open finals in the same year. She lost out to 2024 French Open-winner Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros this past June.
Taylor Townsend wins doubles at Wimbledon
Former ITF Junior World Champion Taylor Townsend won her first Grand Slam in doubles at Wimbledon this weekend alongside Czechia's Kateřina Siniaková.
The No. 4 seeds beat No. 2-ranked Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe 7-6(5), 7-6(1) in a heated final on Wimbledon's Centre Court. The pair came back from two down in the first set before turning the tables on the 2023 US Open champs to secure the win.
This is the 28-year-old American's first win in three Grand Slam doubles finals, having fallen just short of the title at both the 2022 US Open and 2023 French Open. For Siniaková, however, the victory marks her ninth-career Grand Slam doubles championship and her third time taking the doubles title at Wimbledon.
"This is my first one, my first Grand Slam title — I've been close two other times," Townsend told reporters after the match. "To get over the finish line the way that we did, I think we played so well. We were just locked in, in control. We played our way. It felt good the way we did it."
Few high-ranked seeds remain standing as Wimbledon caps off the Round of 16, with the Grand Slam's grass surface proving itself a great equalizer.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and World No. 2 Coco Gauff suffered upsets in the third and fourth rounds respectively, while No. 3 seed Aryna Sabalenka withdrew from play with a shoulder injury. Both of last year's finalists are also out, with 2023 champion Markéta Vondroušová falling early in the tournament alongside 2023 runner-up Ons Jabeur.
This year's competition has seen impressive performances from several former college athletes — a point of interest in a sport where many skip school in favor of immediately going pro.
Texas alum Lulu Sun upset Emma Raducanu on Sunday, with UVA grad Emma Navarro beating Gauff that same day. Navarro will join Gauff later this month as part of the US Olympic tennis team, punching her ticket after Madison Keys withdrew from the event.
World No. 4 and 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina is the highest-ranked seed still on the schedule this year. 2024 French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini has also kept up her run of form, advancing to her first Wimbledon quarterfinal after Sunday's victory over Madison Keys.
World No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka is out of Wimbledon, withdrawing due to a shoulder injury sustained in Berlin.
Sabalenka also recently pulled out of the Olympics, citing injury concerns with the change of surface.
"I tried everything to get myself ready but unfortunately my shoulder is not cooperating," Sabalenka said on Instagram. "I pushed myself to the limit in practice today to try my best, but my team explained that playing would only make things much worse.
"This tournament means so much to me and I promise I'll be back stronger than ever next year."
Since winning the Australian Open to kick off the season, Sabalenka has struggled with a back injury. She also dealt with illness at the French Open, falling in the quarterfinals to 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva.
Sabalenka has been replaced in the draw by Mira's older sister Erika Andreeva, who lost in qualifiers last week.
Wimbledon will begin on Monday, with French Open-winner Iga Swiatek looking to take her first grass court major title.
Others looking to challenge her include Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur, and 2023 Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova.
Grass isn't the strongest surface for some of the world’s heaviest hitters, including Swiatek, Gauff, and Sabalenka. Jabeur, meanwhile, will be looking to win her first Grand Slam singles title after falling short in last year’s final.
But the tournament’s proximity to the Paris Olympics — combined with the fact that the Olympics will be played on clay courts — has resulted in a number of key players dropping out of the Summer Games.
Sabalenka, Jabeur, and American Madison Keys are among a group of top players declining to participate in the Summer Games, citing health and fitness concerns in relation to a tight schedule played on multiple surfaces.
"We have decided that the quick change of surface and the body’s adaptation required would put my knee at risk and jeopardize the rest of my season," Jabeur posted on social media regarding her Olympic withdrawal.
"It’s too much with the scheduling," Sabalenka echoed. "It’s just too much. I made the decision to take care of my health."
Both Swiatek and Gauff, who excel on clay courts, are still planning to participate this summer in Paris.
Marketa Vondrousova became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title, defeating world No. 6 Ons Jabeur in straight sets Saturday.
The 24-year-old from Czech Republic entered the 2023 tournament ranked No. 42 in the world, but she looked dominant in the final matches of her run to the Grand Slam title. She defeated Jabeur, 6-4, 6-4, in the championship, after beating Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinal round.
“I don’t know what is happening… After everything I have been through, it is amazing I can stand here and hold this,” she said after her win, referring to the Wimbledon trophy. “Tennis is crazy. The comebacks aren’t easy you don’t know what to expect, I was hoping I could get back to this level and now this is happening.”
History Made.
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 15, 2023
Marketa Vondrousova is the first ever unseeded #Wimbledon Ladies' Singles Champion 👏 pic.twitter.com/HSKLR0uhIY
As a junior, Vondrousova claimed the world No. 1 ranking. And after her transition to the senior tour, she reached the French Open final as a 19-year-old in 2019. But injuries disrupted her ascent, and she did not reach another Grand Slam final until this year’s Wimbledon. She has not made it past the fourth round at the US Open or at the Australian Open.
“I‘ve been through it,” she said after her semifinal win against Svitolina. “Once I was very young, so I think it was just too much for me back then.”
Before her win against Jabeur, she made a bet with her coach: If she won the title, he would get a tattoo to commemorate the occasion, she said.
“I think we are going to go tomorrow,” she said Saturday. “I think I am going to have some beer. It was an exhausting few weeks.”
Despite the tiring run through the tournament, she has plenty to celebrate, and not just on the court. Her first wedding anniversary is tomorrow.
“I enjoyed the two weeks so much,” she said. “I am so grateful and proud of myself.”
Venus Williams will make her 24th appearance in the singles draw at Wimbledon in 2023 after she received a wild-card entry to the tournament Wednesday.
A five-time singles champion at Wimbledon, she last reached the finals of the grass-court major in 2017. The 43-year-old made her Wimbledon debut in 1997.
On Monday, Williams earned just her second win in nearly as many years — as well as her first win over a player in the top 50 in nearly four years — as she beat 48th-ranked Camila Giorgi at the Birmingham Classic in England. The win also ended a 12-match losing streak.
She’ll next play Jelena Ostapenko in the round of 16. The second-ranked player in the tournament, Ostapenko is currently ranked No. 17 in the world and made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Ahead of their match, Ostapenko called Williams “a great champion.”
“It’s amazing to share the court with her. I have nothing to lose. I will just try to play my best and I hope you guys will enjoy the match,” Ostapenko said.
The two have gone head-to-head just twice before, back in 2017 at Wimbledon and at the WTA Finals in Singapore, with Williams winning both of their previous matches.
The grass-court Birmingham Classic serves as a tune-up for Wimbledon, which begins on July 3.
Also receiving wild-card entries to the major were Elina Svitolina, Heather Watson and Katie Boulter. Svitolina is fresh off a quarterfinal run at the French Open but lost her opening round match at Birmingham earlier this week.
Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian players from competition last year, but the Grand Slam is set to allow them to compete neutral athletes in 2023.
Players from Russia and Belarus will be required to sign declarations of neutrality and comply with “appropriate conditions,” which include not expressing their support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, players cannot receive funding from Russian or Belarusian states, which includes sponsorship from companies that are operated or controlled by either country.
“We continue to condemn totally Russia’s illegal invasion and our wholehearted support remains with the people of Ukraine,” said Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Club, in a statement. “This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted.”
Athletes such as 2023 Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, are affected by the announcement.
Last year, Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam to not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete. Other tournaments have allowed players to compete under a neutral flag.
“We also consider alignment between the Grand Slams to be increasingly important in the current tennis environment,” the club said.
Wimbledon is set to begin on July 3.
Wimbledon’s all-white dress code will see some changes in 2023 and beyond.
While players have long worn all white at the famed English tournament, some of the women’s players raised concerns this year with the dress code.
Olympic champion Monica Puig spoke out on the stress of the all-white requirement for players competing during their periods, and Australian tennis player Daria Gavrilova revealed to The Daily Aus that she had to skip her period around the tournament.
“Recently just being at Wimbledon, I was talking with my friends saying that I love the all-white look. But then a few girls said they hate it because it sucks to wear all white while being on your period,” she said.
“It’s true, I myself had to skip my period around Wimbledon, for the reason that I didn’t want to worry about bleeding through, as we already have enough other stress.”
While the traditional all-white garment rule will not change, current guidelines outline that undergarments “that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration) must also be completely white except for a single trim of color no wider than one centimeter.”
That rule is set to be removed for female players, who will be allowed to wear colored undergarments – including underwear sports bras. The all-white rule will be limited to the top layer of clothing.
“Prioritizing women’s health and supporting players based on their individual needs is very important to us, and we are in discussions with the WTA, with manufacturers and with the medical teams about the ways in which we can do that,” The All England Club said in a statement Tuesday.
Tennis legend Billie Jean King called the all-white dress code “horrible” in an interview this week with CNN, echoing the sentiments Puig and Gavrilova shared about the stress of white undergarments for players on their periods.
“We’re always checking whether we’re showing. You get tense about it because the first thing we are is entertainers and you want whatever you wear to look immaculate, look great,” King told CNN. “We’re entertainers. We’re bringing it to the people.”
After Elena Rybakina won Wimbledon on Saturday, Russia was quick to claim the win as their own.
Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpishchev called Rybakina “our product,” though the Russian-born player now competes for Kazakhstan.
“It’s very nice! Well done Rybakina! We win the Wimbledon tournament,” Tarpischev said Saturday according to Russian news agency Ria Novosti. He later told Championat that her training program in Russia is the reason for her win.
“It’s the Russian school, after all,” he said. “She played here with us for a long time, and then in Kazakhstan.”
Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from the tournament due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the WTA later stripped the tournament of ranking points.
While some Russian officials have claimed the win, Rybakina’s triumph will go down as the first Grand Slam win for Kazakhstan. Rybakina, who was born in Moscow, switched countries in 2018 due to financial reasons.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s always some news, but I cannot do anything about this,” Rybakina said Saturday when asked if the Russian government would be tempted to politicize her Grand Slam triumph.
She then reiterated her allegiance to Kazakhstan and pleaded for understanding when asked about condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Both of Rybakina’s parents still reside in Moscow.
“I’m playing for Kazakhstan a very long time,” she continued. “I represent them on the biggest tournaments, Olympics, which was a dream come true.
“I didn’t choose where I was born. People believed in me. Kazakhstan supported me so much. Even today I heard so much support. I saw the flags. So I don’t know how to answer these questions.”