Grand Slam – the ultimate title one can achieve in tennis, the most prized trophy. Madison Keys was able to lock down one of these trophies in her cupboard as she won the Australian Open last week. It was the 29-year-old’s first Grand Slam title. Appreciation and good wishes have been pouring in for the American tennis star. However, along with that expectations are also building. What next, right? Well, Andy Roddick would like to have a word with those people!

In his podcast, ‘Served’, the former US Open champion was recapping the Australian Open with 4-time Grand Slam winner Kim Clijsters. In the conversation, he expressed frustration at the mounting pressure that is put on tennis players knowingly and unknowingly. Madison Keys isn’t the only player with such pressure. Defying all odds, Emma Raducanu shocked everyone as she became the only person to clinch the US Open title as a qualifier in 2021. At just 19 years old, the youngster didn’t drop a single set throughout the entire tournament, becoming a star overnight. Post that, the spotlight was constantly on her, keeping more scrutiny to her game than ever before.

In 2023, in an interview with The Sunday Times, she made an honest confession. The British star said, “That moment on the court, when I was celebrating, I was like, I would literally trade any struggle in the world for this moment. Since then I’ve had a lot of setbacks, one after the other. I am resilient, my tolerance is high, but it’s not easy. And sometimes I think to myself I wish I’d never won the U.S. Open.” And as Madison Keys potentially treads a similar path, Andy Roddick weighed in with a critical perspective.

The former World No.1 said, “As we’re kind of moving around the sun for a couple of rotations. And then I was texting with a friend who’s really good friends with Bjorn and he’s in our Dingle’s game named Jared Hiltzik.” He then further continued, “And he’s like, what happens now? And then I saw myself going, well, it could go either way. And then I stopped. I’m like, who f*cking cares? Who cares? She did it. If she did it and the shoulders get to a point of relief that it’s hard to recommit, great. And if it’s all of a sudden wind at your back, carefree and she rips off another two, great. Who f*cking cares? And I kind of catch myself. I’m like, why are we so stupid? Why can we not just enjoy something for more than like a day?”

Roddick’s words highlighted a key aspect of the demands of the game: the additional pressures mounted on players by expectations of more records, more victories, more titles. The first Grand Slam title is treated like the glint of a promise: win one, and you’re expected to strive for the legendary. But few shatter the ceiling like Roger Federer and Serena Williams, to name a few; most are content with one – but the struggle behind it is always monstrous. For starters, Madison Keys’ own moment has been 15 years in the making – and despite deep Slam runs, she needed special help getting there.

Madison Keys reveals taking therapy to finally make Australian Open breakthrough

Madison Keys was dubbed a ‘teenage prodigy’ when she stepped onto the court at just 14 years old. The weight of expectations was heavy since then and it got heavier when it seemed like the Grand Slam window would close soon.

In 2017, the American tennis player reached the final at her home courts in Fleshing Meadows but was bested by Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-0. The 29-year-old was close to victory again in 2023 as she made the semifinals of the US Open but had to taste defeat at the hands of Aryna Sabalenka. But in 2025, when she faced the Belarusian player again, she was rearing to go. And the World No.7 credited working on herself and starting therapy as a key factor.

In her post-match press conference she revealed, “So just being really honest and actually getting help and actually talking to someone, and not just about tennis but about how I felt about myself. Again, very uncomfortable. I never really like to be uncomfortable. I honestly think that had I not done that, then I wouldn’t be sitting here.” Madison Keys put in the work, overcame the doubts, and won her Grand Slam. That in itself is worth celebrating on its own, instead of asking ‘what next’!