Last year, a strange ranking rule kept newly crowned Australian Open champion Madison Keys out of her home event, the ATX Open, after her rapid rise made her ineligible. Now, history repeats itself as the American again misses the WTA 250 this year, leaving her feeling punished for her own success.

Madison Keys recently opened up about her frustration over missing the ATX Open in Austin. She spoke about the situation on The Player’s Box podcast, which she co-hosts with Jessica Pegula. 

“Last year I won the Australian Open on Saturday, which is not the sad part of the story!” explained Keys. “Then the rankings for the Austin tournament were updated, and the deadline was updated the same day. So I had already entered Austin, had committed to it, had told the tournament that I was coming, we were going to do stuff, and I’d talked to the tournament director.”

She said the rankings update and entry deadline falling on the same day created the issue. By that time, she had already confirmed her participation and made plans for the event.

Keys then explained how Pegula became part of the situation. “Then that Monday I moved into the top 10, and because Jessica is also playing in Austin, she was two or three spots higher than me, so she got to stay in the tournament.”

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Under WTA rules, only one top-10 player is allowed in the WTA 250 event. Since Pegula was ranked higher, Keys was removed from the draw even after committing.

She later described what happened next. “When I entered, I was 17 in the rankings, but because I moved up, I was removed because Jess was ranked higher than me, so she got to play. So this year comes around, and I was like, ‘Okay, I didn’t defend all my points from Australia, I will drop out of the top 10, so I can go and play Austin this year.”

Keys thought she would finally be able to return this season. She planned to request a wildcard if needed and hoped the tournament could accommodate her.

However, the situation repeated itself. “This year I reached out to the tournament and asked if I could get a wildcard and the WTA told me that I could not take a wildcard because even though after the Australian Open I would drop out of the top 10, they said that I am not eligible for a wildcard because when the deadline closed it is during the Australian Open this year and I’m still top 10.”

She tried to find another solution after the rankings changed. But the answer remained the same.

“What if I just take a wildcard on Tuesday after the rankings update, and they said no, Jess is playing, only one top 10 player can play.”

The repeated rejection left her extremely frustrated. Keys said she contacted the WTA immediately.

“I was so mad! I was rage emailing and texting the WTA because I was like this does not make any sense. One year I get screwed because I did too well somewhere and the next year I am trying to go to a tournament again, and somehow I’m penalized for being too good but then literally five days later I am going to drop out of the top 10.”

The situation became even more disappointing considering her recent ranking movement. Keys had won the Australian Open in 2025 after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

But her 2026 campaign did not go as planned. After losing in the fourth round in Melbourne, she dropped six places from No. 9 to No. 15 in the rankings.

The 30-year-old, who lost to Pegula during the tournament, has since slipped one more spot to No. 16. Despite falling outside the top 10, the earlier deadline still kept her out of Austin.

Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula, the defending champion and current world No. 6, remains in the draw. Other players have also received wildcards for the event.

Venus Williams has been granted a wildcard entry. Jelena Ostapenko has also received a spot through a wildcard.

For Keys, the outcome feels unfair and confusing. 

Even Pegula had previously acknowledged how unusual the situation was, as a technical rule once again keeps Keys away from Austin.

Jessica Pegula reacts to the unusual WTA rule affecting Madison Keys

The ATX Open was held from February 22 to March 2 last year. The WTA 250 event took place just before the Sunshine Swing in Indian Wells and Miami. It was expected to feature strong American participation.

However, Madison Keys was unable to enter the tournament. Her ranking situation created an unexpected problem under WTA rules.

The tournament later released an official statement explaining the situation. “As a 250-level tournament, the ATX Open is permitted to feature just one Top 10 player unless the defending champion returns as a Top 10-ranked player,” the tournament confirmed in a statement, citing the WTA Tour rules. 

“With World No. 6 Jessica Pegula already committed to the event, WTA rules prevent us from having a second Top 10 player in the draw.”

The decision disappointed both the event and its organizers. Tournament Director Christo van Rensburg spoke openly about the situation.

“We love Madison and have been anticipating for months the excitement of her playing here in Austin for the first time. While we wish the Top 10 rule didn’t apply to our tournament, we respect the rules of the WTA.”

Jessica Pegula, who was ranked inside the top five at the time, also shared her thoughts. She admitted the situation was complicated.

“It’s so hard to say because you can see both sides, right? I mean, sometimes there are small tournaments before, and if it was like a big week, like here before Indian Wells, you could have a couple of top-10 players.”

Pegula also described the situation as unusual and rare. She did not believe the outcome affected Keys emotionally in a major way.

“Although I will say, I think that it was a pretty extreme, kind of rare circumstance, so I don’t think she’s killing herself over it, you know? She won the Australian Open, so I think she’s pretty happy.”

In the same interview, Pegula revealed that Keys really wanted to compete in Austin. She even asked Pegula more than once if she might consider withdrawing from the event.

The situation has continued to affect Keys’ schedule. Recently, she joined Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka, along with fellow Americans Jessica Pegula and Iva Jovic, in withdrawing from the Qatar Open.

Now, missing the ATX Open again has created another setback for the American. For the second straight year, WTA rules have kept Madison Keys away from her home tournament.