“I feel pretty comfortable moving on it,” Madison Keys said last year when talking about her game on clay. And for a while, that confidence was visible whenever she stepped on the surface. Interestingly, the American seemed to have found her rhythm again ahead of the Roland Garros with a strong run at a WTA 125 event in Paris. She made it all the way to the final, dropping just one set across her first four matches, and came into the title clash against Diane Parry as the favourite.

However, things took a turn in the opening set when her injury issues resurfaced, and the discomfort eventually proved too much. What had started as a promising build-up ended in disappointment, as she was forced withdraw from the final.

Trailing 2-3 in the opening set, Keys called for a medical timeout. It appeared that the veteran was dealing with a thigh issue and needed treatment before continuing the play. Though she got back on court soon after, the play stopped again just minutes later. Rain started pouring in at the French capital during the timeout as Keys was 30-0 ahead in the sixth game of the set. This led the match to be suspended temporarily.

Moreover, the rain had either delayed or suspended matches throughout the tournament. The final got delayed for several hours before finally resuming during the later hours of the day. Keys roared back, winning four consecutive games to clinch the first set 6-3.

The second set was very evenly-matched with both the players tied at 3-3 after the first six games. However, things came crashing down for Keys in the seventh game. The American was serving to take the lead in the set, but she ended up going down by 0-40. Her condition deteriorated, and she called the physio before retiring, giving Parry the title.

The 31-year-old could have very well won her first singles title of the year if her body didn’t have other plans. The title could have been a major confidence booster for Keys with the Roland Garros right around the corner. Instead, she is now in a race against time to recover before the Grand Slam commences from May 24.

The defeat in the final wasn’t the only setback that Keys suffered, as she also withdrew from the Strasbourg Open just hours later. She was scheduled to face Cristina Bucsa in the opening round but has now been replaced by Zhang Shuai, who has entered the main draw as the lucky loser.

Strasbourg would have been Keys’ final prep before the French Open, but now it’s unclear if she’ll even compete in the Grand Slam. It is also likely that the American decided to retire from the final because she doesn’t want to take any risks with the Roland Garros’ main-draw being barely a week away. It remains to be seen if Keys will be able to fully recover and return to action by the time the second Grand Slam of the year rolls in.

Keys has already had an injury-plagued season, which has seen her miss multiple tournaments. Having finished No. 7 on the rankings last year, the 2025 Australian Open champion has dropped down to No. 19 with half of the season still remaining.

Madison Keys’ disappointing 2026 season so far

Keys’ fitness concerns had first come up during the quarterfinal clash against Aryna Sabalenka at the Brisbane International. After her 3-6, 3-6 defeat to the World No.1, Keys didn’t play any match in February before returning to action at the Indian Wells Open.

The American then had to withdraw from her first-round match against Zhang Shuai at the Madrid Open. She had sustained an illness just hours before the match and was then replaced by Anastasia Potapova. The injury at the Paris event is the third blow that Keys has suffered this year.

Fitness isn’t the only concern that Keys is dealing with this year as her form has also depleted. She has an average win-loss record of 16-8 this season and hasn’t been able to make any remarkable run at any WTA 1000 event so far. A withdrawal from the French Open could see her lose a massive number of points as she had reached the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam last year.

Will Keys be able to recover in time for the French Open, or will the issues with her thigh lead to her missing out on the Grand Slam? Let us know what you think in the comments!