"It's never too late for anything," assures Keys, present at the WTA Finals nine years later

Madison Keys had no answer for Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals. The American will need to defeat her compatriot Amanda Anisimova in her next match to keep her semi-final qualification chances alive.

Keys has made a grand return to the WTA Finals. The 30-year-old player, who won the Australian Open earlier this season against Aryna Sabalenka, is competing in the Masters for the second time in her career, nine years after the first in 2016, where she was eliminated in the group stage after defeats to Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep.

Despite a victory over Dominika Cibulkova at the time, she was unable to advance to the next round. In her first match of the 2025 tournament, Keys fell heavily to Iga Swiatek (6-1, 6-2). However, the player in question is savoring her presence at the Masters.

"Playing the WTA Finals in 2016 was obviously an incredible experience. All the players who were always at the top of their game during my childhood were there. Just being associated with all of them was a huge honor.

After that, I always wanted to come back, so being here again, in a different role, is really great. It's never too late for anything. I don't think I would have believed there would be a nine-year gap between the two participations, but I'm currently playing the best tennis of my career.

Sometimes, when you start getting older, you feel like time is running out. That has changed my perspective a bit, because I realized there is always time," Keys assured Tennis Up To Date.