By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo: Ng Han Guan/AP
Madison Keys finally reached the top of the mountain. Keys wins her first career grand slam by defeating Ayrna Sabalenka, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
Sabalenka was going for a three-peat. A feat that hasn’t been done since Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
Keys earned this grand slam. She beat the No. 10, No. 6, No. 2, and No. 1 tennis players in the world in one tournament. That’s astonishing.
She has overcome tough losses in her career. Keys’s winning her first major at the age of 29 will go down as one of the best moments in Fennis, especially this year.
Keys acknowledged Sabalenka as the tough competitor she is and said it is always a joy to compete against her. She thanked the fans, her family, and her team. She was very emotional during her on-court interview speech.
“This is where I’m going to cry,” Keys said. “I have wanted this for so long, and I have been in one other Grand Slam final, and it did not go my way, and I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to get back to this position to try to win a trophy again. My team believed in me every step of the way, so thank you so much.”
Keys had to do it the hard way. This is what it takes to be a champion. A champion goes through the hardships and beat the best of the best. Keys has learned and matured. She made changes to her game.
Keys and Sabalenka gave all their heart, emotion, and passion in this match. Both players were aggressive. Keys’ forehand game was sensational. She changed rackets and changed serves. All of these adjustments led Keys to win her Grand Slam.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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