Setting a goal, accomplishing it, and feeling good about yourself can help build confidence and perseverance.
Madison Keys
I like weightlifting and cardio workouts, and I'll do a lot of circuit workouts and plyometric as well.
I always watched these tournaments and want to be seeded and get the bye and be in the second week of Slams and all that.
I have a specific routine before every match. I like to grip my rackets, because I feel that someone else won't do it how I like them. But the biggest thing is that I don't like to stress about my match all morning. Twenty minutes before, I'll sit down and think about the game plan and warm up. And then I just play.
I don't always have to play my absolute best to win matches.
For me, losing is definitely not easy, but I think you just have to keep everything in perspective. Just remember that there's another tournament around the corner.
If you're not in my immediate circle, you're not someone whose opinion I value.
It's, you know, kind of nice to be under the radar.
One night I couldn't sleep at three in the morning and I thought, I'm going to color-coordinate my closet. And I did. There's a whole system. It goes from white to black and then all the colors in the middle. Then it goes by tank tops to T-shirts to long sleeves, and then it goes to the next color. Then it goes to sweaters the same way.
I want to be a role model for all young people.
It's one of those things where eventually in your career, it kind of switches from being the young up-and-comer to someone who has had results and the other person is trying to raise their level to play. I think it's a privilege.
I think no matter who you are, or what you do, just be nice.
I always travel with a cashmere blanket - I take it everywhere with me!
I think when it's a high-stress situation, my tennis definitely takes a big dip.
There is nothing like Wimbledon. When I think about tennis, I think about this tournament.
My thought process when I'm on the court is always thinking about getting better, and thinking about how I'm playing. Thinking about it as a process, as the big picture and what I need to work on, instead of being close-minded and thinking, 'I'm so nervous and have to win this match, if I don't, it'll be the worst.'
I've done some meditation stuff like apps on my phone, but sometimes it's just about breathing deeply taking some deep breaths and slowing my mind down and focusing and something simple that can really help quiet my mind.
Wimbledon just is the epitome of tennis.
It wasn't until people started asking me what my plans were for the future - if I would go to college or go pro - that it really hit me what I wanted to do. I decided I wanted to go pro and try to be in Wimbledon.
I've had people ask me whether I'm concerned about wearing makeup into a match, for example. One year, an on-court commentator asked one of the girls to twirl after the match. Surely, he's not going to go up to a man to ask, 'Can you do a spin for us?'
I grew up by the Mississippi River, and I would swim in that as a kid.
I started full-time training when I was 10, signed professionally when I was 14, and won my first match at the same age.
Let's just stop being bullies face to face, online, whatever.
I definitely have been working a lot on the mental side of my game.
Accept others for their differences, what makes them different. That's what makes the world the world.
I know it's a cheesy thing to say, but I just want everyone to be able to get along.
As far as cities, one of my favorite stops every year is Rome I think it's super fun to play there, because the tournament is really cool and the fans are super engaged, but also you get to walk around going to dinner, and the history - it's truly one of the most amazing cities in the world. I love it.
When I have a nice rhythm going, and I have my toss in the right spot, when everything is kind of working how it's supposed to be, I think it's just really easy, you know, and I don't have to overthink on it.
You can almost get overwhelmed if you start focusing on Serena being on the other side of the court.
I think the biggest thing is knowing that those thoughts of panic are probably going to go into your brain, and just accepting it... So that's been the biggest thing. Not fighting it and trying to think I'm going to have the perfect mentality the entire time. That's not going to happen.
I'm a big fan of grass. It definitely suits my game.
It's not the end of the world if I lose. I try to keep it all in perspective.
I think one big thing for me that I need to work on is being able to separate my feelings and emotions from my matches.
I don't really identify myself as white or African-American. I'm just me. I'm Madison.
I think it's definitely hard for the people who just out of nowhere come in and they do really well and all of the sudden the spotlight is on them.
Serena's always been one of the best, and she will forever be one of the best tennis players in women's tennis.
Being away from the game and just remembering why I love competing and all of that, I think it helped me tremendously.
I think it's especially hard when you start at an academy, because everything is decided for you. And then when you go with U.S.T.A., there's only so many decisions you can make.
I will never be able to say 'Yeah, O.K., I'm good,' you know? I will always want more, and more, and more.
There's just so much girl-on-girl hate. It happens to start in high school, and then it builds and gets bigger and bigger, and it seems like for some reason there's this mentality that if another girl does well, she's taking my spot.
No one who has gotten second place at a Grand Slam is ever like, 'Yeah, now I feel fine about it.' Everyone wants the other trophy. But it inspires you to work harder and get yourself in that position again so that you can use what you've learned.
Sometimes it takes work to find a great group of friends whom you feel super comfortable and confident with.
Sometimes I have lapses of attention, and I can lose some points very quickly - that's been a big thing for him.
Being an American, we're very lucky that all of the attention is very rarely just on one person. Unless you're Serena - then it's on you all the time.
I think when you're younger and you're watching people play on TV, you always say that you want to be at the French Open - you want to be playing Grand Slams. But then actually being there doing it, it kind of blows you away thinking, Wow, I actually used to think maybe I could do that one day, and now I'm actually doing it.
I think when I start thinking about results, I stop playing the right way because I start getting too nervous.
Being able to rely on the matches I've won - at first they surprised me - but I've slowly been able to build confidence.
Love' is a big step. It's a big word. You have to work your way to it.
My first U.S. Open main draw, it was a big stadium and I wasn't really used to it.
I think my biggest thing is learning when to hit which serve when, not doing the exact same thing over and over. Because O.K., great, it's 120 miles per hour, but they're standing right there, and they just block it back.
