This has definitely been one the best years for WTA Rising Star Madison Keys, and she will be looking to keep flying back up the rankings with a good run at the major on her best surface. Will this 21-year-old be able to bring home the title at Wimbledon?
Notable results to date
You can say this has been one of the best years for the young American as she has gotten to six round of 16's, three quarterfinals, two semifinals, and two finals. Her first impressive run came at the first major of the year- the Australian Open. She defeated the likes of Zarina Diyas and Ana Ivanovic to make the fourth round.
Her next impressive run came two months later at the Miami Open, where she defeated the likes of Roberta Vinci and Irina-Camelia Begu until she fell short against Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals.
The American's next impressive run was the best of the season so far for her, as she made the finals of The Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2016, losing only to Serena Williams in the finals of the tournament. On the way to the final, she defeated the likes of Andrea Petkovic, Petra Kvitova, Timea Babos, Barbora Strycova, Garbiñe Muguruza, and only dropped one set in all.
Key's latest run was at Birmingham last week, where she won the tournament.
Best grass results leading into Wimbledon
Birmingham proved to be a great warm-up for the 21-year-old as she won her second title of her young career, which is also her second on the grass. She started off her Birmingham campaign against the Hungarian Timea Babos, in which she one won 7-6(3), 6-4. Keys then faced qualifier Tamira Paszek, and she easily defeated her 6-3, 6-1.
In the quarterfinals, the American faced another WTA Rising Star, Jelena Ostapenko, who she defeated in three sets. Her next opponent in the semifinals was Carla Suárez Navarro, and she barely defeated the Spaniard in a third set tiebreaker. Keys then faced up against Barbora Strycova in the finals of the tournament, and the American defeated her easily in straight sets 6-3, 6-4.
Keys was supposed to play at the Aegon International at Eastbourne, where she was going to be the three seed, but she suddenly had to pull out of the tournament with a right shoulder injury.
Best result at Wimbledon
Madison Keys has played multiple Wimbledon's, but her break-out tournament was definitely last year as she made the quarterfinals, falling eventually to Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets.
The American started off her Wimbledon campaign last year with a three-set comeback over Stefanie Voegele in the first round. The 21 seed then faced Elizaveta Kulichkova of Russia, who she defeated in straight sets. And it was deja vu for Madison Keys the next round as she defeated Tatjana Maria also in straight sets. The 21-year-old next faced Olga Govortsova, in which she had to come back again, but defeated the qualifier in three sets. That was her last win, though, as she lost to Agnieszka Radwanska despite winning the first set in a tiebreaker.
How Key's game translates to grass
The biggest weapon's in Key's game are her serve and her forehand, which are huge and bounce off the surface quickly, not giving her opponent time a lot of time to get the ball back. She is also a very aggressive player, which lets her dictate the points against anyone she plays.
The one downside to her game on grass is that she isn't a great defender, so if she plays players like Serena Williams, it can be hard for her to win points against someone who overpowers her. The American is also great at changing direction, which is definitely a plus on a fast surface such as grass.