The world started to see Madison Keys differently after she had a dream campaign in Melbourne, where she finally captured her maiden slam. The American ousted World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and won the Australian Open. It was a special victory considering Keys had failed in a previous major final during the 2017 US Open. But this time, she made it happen. However, the long-awaited milestone did bring its own set of overwhelming outcomes for Keys. Clearly, she wasn’t ready for them at all.

Following the big win down under, Keys had to take a break from tennis due to a leg injury. As a result, she missed out on the entire Middle East swing before coming back with the BNP Paribas Open. Currently, she’s preparing for the next challenge, on clay, at the Roland Garros. It will be the second major of the season.

Undoubtedly, Keys is going to be among the potential winners at the French Open, thanks to her Australian Open triumph. But it seems this glory took a heavy toll on her while she embraced the feeling of being a slam queen for the first time. In a pre-event interview before kickstarting the journey in Paris, she recently recalled the time following the AO triumph in late January. So how was it like? She replied, “I think the biggest thing was that winning the Australian Open was like the greatest but most exhausting thing that I have ever done in my career.”

Sharing the experience of getting overwhelmed with attention from everywhere, she added, “I don’t think you really appreciate how much of an emotional toll it kind of takes on you. And it was a lot.” When she went back home, “there was much media and everything.”

Keys continued, “And then to finally just kind of sit there, it was like a week later and I was like ‘Man, I am tired’. So just being really conscious of doing what I want to do.”

Keys realized how “for a long time I kind of lived under the radar and kind of just did my thing. And then all of a sudden it was like everyone wanted to talk again. So it was kind of a big shift really quickly. And I just knew that for me to enjoy myself at this point of my career and really just kind of enjoy this period of my life, I just wanted to make sure that I’m doing the things that I want to do.”

Now that she’s a slam champion, expectations will surely increase. Especially at the upcoming French Open. But her recent form has sparked doubts about her prospects in Paris. How?

Madison Keys goes into the French Open with inconsistent form

After coming back from a recovery break due to the leg injury, Madison Keys shone at the Indian Wells. She succeeded in reaching the semis, thus proving that her form was intact. Until it wasn’t.

In most of her subsequent events, the current World No.7 failed to create an impact. At the Miami Open, teenage sensation Alexandra Eala stunned her in R32 with a score line of 4-6, 2-6. Then in Charleston, Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya ousted her in straight sets as well (2-6, 4-6). Keys did manage to enter the QF stage in Madrid but soon found herself struggling again in Rome. Compatriot Peyton Stearns edged her out in the R32.

Most importantly, the events she’s struggled with lately are all clay-based. Not to mention, the next major challenge is going to be on the Parisian clay. Entering the tournament with such a form may ring alarm bells for Keys. More so because of her recent record at the Roland Garros.

Since making her event debut in 2013, Keys has managed to shine only twice at the French Open. During the 2018 and 2019 editions, she entered the SF and QF rounds, respectively. However, she’s failed to replicate such results in the last six years. Her best run was in 2022 where she made it to the R16. What are your thoughts on the American’s chances in Paris this time? Will she leave a lasting impression? Let us know in the comments below.