'Kind of forgot about it': Madison Keys reveals why Australian Open title hasn't sunk in ahead of next major
It has been four months since Madison Keys lifted her first major title on Australian soil, but that winning feeling has still yet to fully sink in for the world No.5.
Keys dismissed world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to claim a heroic win at the Australian Open in what marked her first grand slam win at the age of 29.
The American has yet to feature in a final of a tournament since her victory, with her semi final loss to Sabalenka at Indian Wells the furthest she has gone until now.
Watch all the action from Roland Garros 2025 live & on-demand on Stan Sport, with two courts in 4K UHD. Coverage of select matches free-to-air on 9GemHD and streaming on 9Now
Three competitions on the clay-courts has seen Keys start to find her rhythm once again ahead of Roland-Garros, which begins on Sunday.
Asked if she would attempt to replicate the processes that helped her to success in Australia, Keys admitted she had partially forgotten how that experience unfolded.
"I don't know it it has [sunk in]," Keys told Duncan McKenzie-McHarg for Stan Sport's Grand Slam Daily.
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"Some days it is right there at the front of my mind and other days it's kind of like, 'Wow, I did that'. I kind of forgot about it almost because life just continues.
"I've been trying to go back and rewatch some of the things to just try and really take it in. In tennis it is so easy to just start moving on really quickly.
"I just really want to appreciate it and remember the amazing experience that it was."
Madison Keys talks to Bjorn Fratangelo during a rain interruption in Eastbourne. Getty
Keys has played at Roland-Garros 12 times, with her career-best display at the event coming in 2018 when she reached the semi finals where she was beaten by Sloane Stephens.
But as she returns to the event for the first time with a major title to her name, Keys said she can not wait to see how fans react in her quest to success.
"I've played so many times at Roland-Garros and I've had some pretty good success here, some great matches that I've been able to pull out.
Madison Keys plays a backhand while training in preparation for the 2025 French Open. Getty
"The most fun for me is the atmosphere and the fans, they are so fun.
"It's definitely a very unique fan experience because they are like no other fans in the world. I always love playing in all the different countries and getting to experience all the different atmospheres."
Keys will be looking to spoil Iga Swiatek's fourth consecutive defence of the French Open title this month, although she will have to surpass a possible quarter final battle against world No.2 Coco Gauff.
The French Open trophy will no doubt fit comfortably in with Keys' trophy cabinet.
However, as for where the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup is, Keys revealed: "We are currently renovating the front of our house and I told them that I need a shelf that is tall and wide enough to fit Daphne."
For all the Roland-Garros headlines, talking points and highlights, Stan Sport's Grand Slam Daily will be streaming every morning of the tournament from Monday, live and exclusive from 11am AEST.
Hosted by Chris Stubbs with renowned Australian player, coach and commentator Wally Masur, the pair will cross regularly over the course of the tournament to McKenzie-McHarg on the ground in Paris, who will be chatting with some of the biggest names in world tennis.
