MELBOURNE, Australia — Since Madison Keys reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2015, this Grand Slam tournament has been all about pain.
When she returned in 2016, she hobbled through a fourth-round defeat against Zhang Shuai and was in tears in the players’ lounge afterward, struggling to articulate her disappointment.
Last year, she was unable to make the long journey to Melbourne at all, with her left wrist in a cast after surgery. Following the matches from afar was difficult.
“I watched a handful, but it made me really sad, so I pretty much avoided ESPN, Tennis Channel, all of it,” she said on Monday as she answered questions on court in the Australian sunshine.