When asked to speak about newly minted Grand Slam champion Madison Keys’ recent rise during her post-match press conference on Monday at the BNP Paribas Open, the always eloquent Coco Gauff lit up. 

“Definitely inspiring,” she quipped. “I wasn't surprised by her winning. I think she's one of those players you play and she's just so good and she has the capability of beating anyone on any given day, and she certainly proved that in the past and certainly proved that in Australia.”

Keys, warm and ingratiating and known by players and pundits alike as “one of the good ones,” is one of those players that rarely has a bad word uttered about her. 

Now she’s getting rave reviews as well.

The American powerhouse has hit her stride in 2025, blossoming in the wake of her late-November wedding to now-coach Bjorn Fratengelo and fine-tuning her always jaw-dropping tennis by making tweaks to her racquet and her service motion. 

Fast approaching 30, Keys could have easily rested on her laurels. Blessed with blistering power and a booming serve, the American had always been a fixture in the second week at Slams; a three-surface threat who had spent parts of every season since 2015 inside the Top 20.

But Keys didn’t rest; she acted instead. Late last year the American put the wheels in motion, making alterations to her game that would facilitate her glorious run at the Australian Open, where she defeated Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in back-to-back cliffhangers to secure the title.  

“I think that it obviously takes a lot of courage to make changes,” Keys said on Monday after defeating Elese Mertens at Indian Wells.

“I think for a long time I was more stubborn about not making the changes, because I also felt like I didn't want to just search for answers. I felt like I had a lot of control over getting myself out of scenarios.” 

The 30-year-old may have been reluctant to make sweeping changes to her game in the past, but for the right reasons. 

“I think there is a delicate balance, because you also don't want to start switching things every time you lose three matches in a row, because then you're never going to have any consistency – then I feel like you're always looking for answers outside of yourself,” she said. “There are lots of discussions that go into it, and making sure that you're wanting to make the changes for the right reasons.”

Gauff believes that Keys’ breakthrough was more about happiness than string tension or a serve motion. She told reporters that Keys’ success comes from a different place. 

“She just looks a lot happier lately,” Gauff said. “I think that was the biggest change, more than anything technically in her game. Even before winning Australia, to me she felt like she was happier around the locker room. 

“I usually feel when players are in that mindset they tend to do better. So it's good to see her win and also be kind of happy while doing it.”

Fellow Top 5 American Jessica Pegula Concurs: “I think just being happy in her personal life probably really helped her get to that moment of winning a title,” she said of Keys. 

Next mission for the World No. 5 is to come back down to earth and deal with a different set of expectations. She admits that playing her first two matches since becoming a major champion have been, well, interesting. 

“It's just something different,” she said. “For the first time I'm dealing with and trying to manage my own expectations. It's a learning experience, and it's a good position to be in.”

Keys will face 19th-seeded Donna Vekic in the round of 16 on Wednesday at Tennis Paradise.