Madison Keys recently opened up about how the US Open loss resulted in her taking a strange personal decision before realizing it would be a mistake. Keys is currently gearing up for the upcoming tournaments of the 2025 season.
The US Open campaign didn’t turn out as expected for Keys, as she faced an early exit in the first round itself. She squared off against Renata Zarazua in the opening match of the tournament, where the Mexican delivered a strong performance and claimed an impressive 6-7(10), 7-6(3), 7-5 win over the American.
Days after this loss, Keys sat for a conversation with the Player’s Box, where she revealed how the upset led to her taking the strange decision of cutting all her hair off to make her feel better until she realized it was a bad idea. She opened up about talking to the commentator, Laura Robson, about this decision when the latter checked up on her post the loss. (34:05 onwards)
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"I've been, as everyone knows, I've been friends with Laura Robson for years and years and years. She used to be on the tour. Now she's a commentator, so it's great because we still have a lot of crossover. But, she texted me a wellness check after my match the other day, and I was like, I think I want to cut a bob. Should I cut a bob? Should I cut all of my hair off? That'll make me feel better, right?" said Madison Keys.
Further revealing Robson's reply, who connected her decision to the hilarious haircut scene from the movie Fleabag, she said:
"She says to me, the clip from Fleabag after she passed that butcher haircut. We need to clip it. This is where we clip this scene. I was like crying, laughing, and I was like, oh, so I shouldn't get a bob. A bob, in fact, won't fix all of my problems. Okay, I'll keep my hair. But it's French. It's French. Oh, that clip was so good.”
Ahead of the US Open, Keys competed at the Cincinnati Masters, where she couldn't advance further than the fourth round.
Madison Keys made feelings known about her early US Open exit
Madison Keys' first-round exit came as a shock for her and the tennis community after she was bested by the unseeded Renata Zarazua. Following this match, the American sat for a press conference, where she opened up about the heartbreaking loss, revealing that her nerves got the better of her during the clash.
Making her feelings known about the performance, she said that she was slow, which affected her footwork and her entire game (as quoted by WTA tennis):
"I was just, for the first time in a while, my nerves really got the better of me. And it kind of became a little bit paralyzing. I felt like I was just slow. I wasn't seeing things the way that I wanted to, which I feel like resulted in a lot of bad decisions and lazy footwork."
Talking about the pressure, she added:
"I think it was probably building a little bit. The reality is it usually builds a little bit. You always kind of feel first-round jitters, and as the day is getting closer, you feel a little bit more and more nervous."
Madison Keys opened her 2025 season by competing at the ASB Classic, where she advanced to the quarterfinal round before being defeated by Clara Tauson. The 30-year-old also won a Grand Slam title this year at the Australian Open, where she overwhelmed World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, in the final, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.
