After 15 years of professional tennis, world No. 14 Madison Keys knows a thing or two about rolling with the punches. Less than two months after a leg injury ended her 2024 Wimbledon run, Keys, 29, is already back to fighting for her next title: She’s taking on the U.S. Open — the final major of the 2024 season and her “absolute favorite” of them all, as she tells SELF.
On July 7, Keys was just a few points away from defeating Italy’s Jasmine Paolini to secure a spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals when her left leg gave out while trying to return a shot, according to The New York Times. When Keys returned from a medical break with her thigh heavily bandaged, the Times reported, the severity of the injury became clear. Ultimately, she decided to give upholding back tears as he walked off the pitch to applause.
“Well… The end of yesterday’s match was probably one of my toughest moments on the court,” Keys wrote in a Facebook post. publish the next day. It turns out she had injured her hamstring. While the damage was limited to a “minor muscle tear,” according to Keys, it still took time to heal.
“Being able to have that piece of time [off] It’s been really beneficial, and I’m feeling super confident in my body and my ability to go out and compete again,” Keys says.
But the experience inevitably took a psychological toll, too. “You kind of have to rebuild trust with your body after an injury,” Keys says—not only by taking a while to recover, but also by starting slowly when it comes time to work on regaining strength, speed, flexibility, and endurance. The latter point has been a big focus: In preparation for the US Open, Keys says she’s been “spending two to two and a half hours a day on the court” to acclimate her body to the real-world demands of a match. And over the past seven weeks or so, she says she’s “basically done all the things I can do.” hamstring and adductor exercise that has already been created.”
Keys has tried to prioritize her mental health, too, by eating well, getting enough sleep, and doing activities she enjoys. Just setting aside 5 to 10 minutes each night to do her skincare routine is “very cathartic and relaxing” for the beauty enthusiast, who partnered with the scientific wellness company Thorn. Your current favorite products in general — for morning or night — include retinol (“I’m starting to get adventurous…as I approach 30”), Trader Joe’s marula oil (“It’s really worth it [money] that I spent on it”) and, of course, sunscreenespecially La Roche-Posay options (“I basically slather myself from head to toe,” she jokes). Then, of course, there’s home renovations and wedding planning — she moved house and I got it groom to her longtime boyfriend for the past two years – everything at the top of preparation for the US Open.