Madison Keys' Future Remains Bright Despite Loss at the 2015 French Open
Madison Keys isn't interested in hearing about her potential anymore—she wants to win now.
While a third-round exit from Roland Garros may come as a disappointment for the fast-rising star, she's ready to continue her charge this summer and beyond. And Keys may soon make her lofty dreams a reality.
High expectations have long followed the 20-year-old American. Claiming her first WTA victory at the tender age of 14 put Keys on the radar and made her a name to watch. It's her growth since that point that hints at a prosperous forecast.
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Keys' steady maturation on the court saw her first crack the Top 40 at the end of 2013. Last season, she had earned the maiden title of her career on the turf at Eastbourne. But her blossoming as a professional player hit full bloom at this year's Australian Open.
Everything came together in Melbourne. Displaying poise beyond her years, Keys kept landing one milestone win after another, reaching both her first Grand Slam quarterfinal and semifinal in the same tournament. Along the way, she took out fourth-seeded Petra Kvitova and childhood idol Venus Williams.
In a blockbuster semifinal that felt like a changing of the guard, Keys squared off with another one of her heroes, Serena Williams. Though a battle with a legend on one of the biggest stages would rattle many young players, Keys wasn't intimidated.
She pushed Williams in a high-quality first set, refusing to back down from the challenge. Williams ultimately pulled away and wasn't quite ready to hand over the torch just yet, but she effused praise for Keys' talent.
An endorsement like that shouldn't be taken lightly. And her run in Australia offered a glimpse of what's on the horizon for Keys.
After that breakthrough moment, she hit a lull this spring at Indian Wells and Miami, falling in the early rounds at both events. Those results didn't dissuade her, however, and she put together a strong week on the green clay in Charleston, reaching her debut final on the surface.
Her relationship with the terre battue hit a rough patch in Madrid and Rome, but Keys pulled off a stunning comeback in Strasbourg, rallying from 4-6, 0-5 down to topple Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
That victory showcased the determination and clutch gene brewing within Keys. While an elbow injury forced her to walkover before her next match, she continued to embrace the clay in Paris.
Drawn into a loaded section of the draw, Keys faced a tricky first-round opponent in veteran Varvara Lepchenko. She passed that test with flying colors to set up a clash with another lauded prospect, Belinda Bencic.
Against Bencic, Keys brought her full arsenal of weapons, throttling the young Swiss in a routine 6-0, 6-3 affair. Her stock soaring, Keys advanced to the third round at Roland Garros for the first time.
That run came to an end at the hands of Timea Bacsinszky in a straight-sets loss, but Keys' improvement on the clay has been evident as she hones her all-court prowess. Now, she'll get to trade in the dirt for a surface where she can be truly dangerous.
Keys is blessed with phenomenal power and a penchant for shot making. Her serve, already one of the most lethal on the WTA Tour, is literally and figuratively her ace in the hole. The one-two punch of her serve and forehand will make her a formidable opponent on the grass.
She'll soon aim to defend her title in Eastbourne, but her moment of reckoning will come at Wimbledon. The pristine lawns at the All England Club should accentuate her game like no other court in the world. It's not a stretch to imagine her winning that tournament (and many others) in the near future.
But Keys wisely understands that her development will include growing pains and learning curves. As she told Rolling Stone, patience will be instrumental.
""Everyone else wants to hear 'I wanna be Top 5,' or 'I want to be winning a Grand Slam.' Those are all goals of mine, but I'm not going to put a time limit on them. Right now, it's really just about working on my game and getting more consistent and continuing to work hard. I think that if I focus on that, a lot of the other things will kind of take care of themselves."
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While Keys works on her movement and tactical expertise, she'll have a valuable voice in her corner: Lindsay Davenport. The two have been officially working together since last fall, and the three-time Grand Slam champion has already endowed Keys with plenty of wisdom and guidance as they shape her game.
Already up to No. 16 in the world at the start of the French Open, there's no telling how far Keys will climb this summer. If she continues on her current path, it won't be long before a new monarchy sits at the top of women's tennis.
All statistics are courtesy of WTATennis.com unless otherwise noted.
Joe Kennard is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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