Madison Keys confirms participation in tournament where she was a beaten finalist in 2020

Follow us on Google Discover

Madison Keys was the toast of tennis back in January when she won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

Keys didn’t give a good account of herself at the WTA Finals and only played two matches after falling ill ahead of her last match.

That said, she’s now a Grand Slam winner and will start 2026 inside the world’s top 10 as she bids to retain her title.

Keys praised Iga Swiatek after losing to her in Riyadh, but she has actually proved that she can mix it with the big players and maintain a top 10 ranking.

Lots of players are starting to finalise their early 2026 schedule, and Keys has now announced one tournament which she will be entering.

• READ MORE: Rennae Stubbs questions something Madison Keys did at the WTA Finals

Madison Keys announced for Australian Open warm-up tournament

It’s been announced in the last 24 hours that Keys will be playing at the Brisbane International in January.

Keys will be looking to gain some momentum after taking some time off at the end of 2025, and the hope will be that she can get through a few rounds.

Keys will be desperate to win another Grand Slam after getting a taste of the winner’s circle at last year’s Australian Open.

The American star is now 30, and she will understand that if she’s going to add more Grand Slam titles to the collection, she cannot waste any time in doing so.

The world number seven will want to play well prior to the first Grand Slam in 2026 and given a rocky end to 2025, it will be fascinating to see what she can achieve.

Keys has history with the Brisbane International

Keys has never won the Brisbane International, but she came very close back in 2020 when she lost the final to Barbara Krejcikova.

On that occasion, Keys went down 4-6, 6-4, 5-7 to miss out on the title, and she’s never managed to get back into the final since.

With a strong field anticipated, however, this should be a strong test for Keys and winning some matches will be paramount before the Grand Slam gets going.

Keys will be in the mix for the tournament, having won it last year, and it will be up to her to once again flex her credentials as one of the world’s top players.