It was November 2014. Madison Keys, the then World Number 31, had a mixed 2014 season. That month, she appointed Lindsay Davenport as a part-time coach to work with her during the off-season and the 2015 season. The two had similar playing styles, as they both enjoyed hitting the ball hard.

The partnership worked wonders for Keys, as she had a consistent run across the tournaments that year. Additionally, she reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals at the Wimbledon Championships. Currently, Keys is in Cincinnati to participate in the Western and Southern Open. During an interview, she opened up about the influence of Davenport on her career.

Madison Keys lauds Lindsay Davenport’s influence

During the post-match interview after her third-round win, Keys thanked Davenport for her contribution to her career. She said, “Lindsay has been absolutely amazing and to have her in my corner has meant the world to me.”

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Further, she added, “To this day, I’ll get nervous and I text her. I’m like, ‘ok, what should I do like just tell me what to do and how can I try to be like a little bit of you?’ Just having her support has been amazing for the last, I mean, I think it has been 7-8 years now so I’m very thankful to have her.”

Keys knocks out Iga Swiatek

Recently, the 27-year-old caused the upset of the tournament at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati as she defeated World Number 1, Iga Swiatek in straight sets. In a match lasting close to an hour and a half, Keys got the better of Swiatek 6-3, 6-4. It was a memorable victory for the American star, producing one of her best displays in recent times.

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With this win, Keys has entered the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati. Keys has struck form just at the right time, with the US Open starting later this month. She will take on Elena Rybakina in the last eight of the tournament. The latter had defeated Alison Riske-Amritraj in the pre-quarterfinals to set up a clash with Keys.