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News18
an hour ago
- Business
- News18
2025 - A Year Of Stunning Firsts For RCB, PSG, Crystal Palace, Harry Kane & More
Last Updated: Here's a look at the major teams/players who have managed to win a major trophy in 2025 after waiting for years. Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by six runs on Tuesday to win the IPL 2025 title. In the final played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 3, RCB successfully managed to defend the total of 190 runs to win the cash-rich league title for the first time in their history. Virat Kohli top-scored for the Bengaluru-based franchise in the summit clash, and spin bowling all-rounder Krunal Pandya, who has previously won three IPL titles with the Mumbai Indians in 2017, 2019 and 2020, picked up two wickets for 17 runs in four overs. RCB's win over PBKS ended Virat Kohli's wait for his maiden IPL title. Hobart Hurricanes win BBL: Nathan Ellis-led Hobart Hurricanes secured a one-sided win by 7 wickets over David Warner-led Sydney Thunder in the BBL 2024-25 final played at Ninja Stadium in Hobart on January 27 to end their 14-year-long wait for their first-ever BBL title. Now, apart from the Melbourne Stars, all other 7 BBL teams have won at least one title. Madison Keys wins US Open: Madison Keys is an American tennis professional who has been competing at the highest level since 2009, but this year she finally managed to win her first-ever Grand Slam title. In the 2025 AUS Open final played against Aryna Salalenka, Key secured a famous win by 6–3, 2–6, 7–5. Newcastle United: Newcastle United secured a famous 2-1 win over Liverpool in the 2024-25 League Cup final played at Wembley on March 16. Daniel Burn and Alexander Isak scored for the Magpies to help them win their first major trophy since 1954-55 (when they won the FA Cup). 70 years in the making 🥹Newcastle's EFL Cup victory is their first domestic trophy since the 1955 FA Cup! — Premier League (@premierleague) March 16, 2025 Harry Kane wins first major trophy: Harry Kane is arguably the greatest English footballer of all time. The 31-year-old is England's leading goalscorer in international football, and this year he finally won his first major trophy as a professional footballer. Harry's Bundesliga club Bayern Munich won the title in the 2024-25 season, and he played a big role by finishing as the leading goal scorer. Bologna: Bologna defeated AC Milan 1-0 in the Coppa Italia final played on May 15. The narrow win over Rossoneri and Stadio Olimpico in Rome helped the Bologna-based Serie A club win its first major trophy since the 1973-74 Coppa Italia title win. Crystal Palace: In the FA Cup 2025 final played against Manchester City at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London on May 17, London-based Crystal Palace stunned everyone by securing a famous win (1-0) to bag their first-ever major trophy in 119 years. 26-year-old attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze scored the only goal of the match in the 16th minute. Spurs win Europa League: North London-based Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur defeated Manchester United 1-0 to win the 2024-25 Europa League title. Spurs' last major trophy before the Europa League was way back in the 2007-08 season when they bagged the League Cup title. PSG: French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain hammered Inter Milan 5-0 in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League final played at Allianz Arena in Munich on Saturday (May 31). It's the first time that the Paris-based club has managed to become the European champions. What the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, David Beckham, and Edinson Cavani failed to do for the Parisians, Ousmane Dembele and his mates achieved under Luis Enrique's mentorship. top videos View all In June, South Africa will face Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final at Lord's from June 11 to 15, and it won't be a surprise if the Proteas, who last won an ICC trophy in 1998, become champions by getting the better of the Baggy Greens. Watch CNN-News18 here. Stay updated with all the latest news on IPL 2025, including the schedule, Points Table, IPL Orange Cap, and IPL Purple Cap. Get latest Cricket news, live score and match results on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : harry kane Hobart Hurricanes Indian Premier League ipl IPL 2025 Newcastle PSG RCB Royal Challengers Bengaluru Tottenham Virat Kohli Location : Ahmedabad, India, India First Published: June 04, 2025, 04:16 IST News cricket 2025 - A Year Of Stunning Firsts For RCB, PSG, Crystal Palace, Harry Kane & More
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Coco Gauff And Madison Keys Battle For Semifinal Spot And HOF Legacy
US player Madison Keys (L) is congratulated by US player Coco Gauff after their women's singles ... More semi-final tennis match at the Rothesay Eastbourne International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, southern England, on June 30, 2023. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) When Coco Gauff and Madison Keys meet in the quarterfinal of the 2025 French Open, more than a place in the semifinal is on the line. A win puts Keys or Gauff one step closer to separating themselves from a crowded field of one-Slam wonders, players on the WTA Tour who have won one Major title. Keys leads the head-to-head against Gauff, 3-2 and won their only meeting on clay (2024 Madrid Open). Gauff is playing in her fifth consecutive French Open quarterfinal. Keys will be in the quarterfinal at Roland-Garros for the first time in six years. The victor will play the winner of the Mirra Andreeva vs. Lois Boisson quarterfinal match. Winning one Major title is a career-defining accomplishment. Many players with long, successful careers never achieve this. But winning two Grand Slam titles puts a player in another category and all but guarantees induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In January 2024, after Aryna Sabalenka won her second Major, she spoke with the WTA about what it meant to no longer be a one-Slam wonder. "It's very sad that people call "one Grand Slam champions" that way. And of course, it was in my head, I didn't want to be a one-time Grand Slam champion," Sabalenka said. "I'm super happy that I was able to win two Grand Slams. And I really hope that I can keep building my tennis, keep getting better, and then hopefully keep winning." Currently, ten active players have one Major title: Gauff, Keys, Emma Raducanu, Sofia Kenin, Marketa Vondrousova, Jelena Ostapenko, Bianco Andreescu, Elena Rybakina, Caroline Wozniacki, and Sloane Stephens. Last year, Barbora Krejcikova emerged from the one-Slam wonder ranks when she defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to claim her first Wimbledon title. During her Wimbledon press conference, Krejcikova said winning a second Major didn't change how she felt about her career. "No, I still feel the same. I mean, it's great that I'm a two-time major champion. It's something unbelievable," Krejcikova said. Krejcikova might not feel differently, but when she won Wimbledon, she stepped over the demarcation, separating one-Slam wonders from future Hall of Famers. NEWPORT, RI - JULY 22: Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Kim Clijsters of Belgium and Andy Roddick of ... More the United States pose for a photo following the enshrinement ceremonies at the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 22, 2017 in Newport, Rhode Island. (Photo byfor the International Tennis Hall of Fame) There are few one-Slam wonders in the tennis HOF. Michael Chang won the 1989 French Open and reached the Australian Open and U.S. Open finals. Andy Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open and reached the final at Wimbledon three times in the Roger Federer era. Roddick was also the No. 1 player. Gabriela Sabatini, who won the 1990 U.S. Open. However, she reached the final twice and the semifinals or better at 11 Grand Slam tournaments, often losing to Steffi Graf or Monica Seles. Chang, Roddick, and Sabatini are in the Tennis Hall of Fame. Even with a No. 1 ranking, like Wozniacki and Roddick, or sustainable success like Sabatini, a player with one Major title sits on the Hall of Fame bubble. Anna Ivanovic won the 2008 French Open, reached the final of the 2008 Australian Open, and held the No. 1 ranking. But although nominated twice, Ivanovic has yet to be voted into the Hall of Fame. Neither Gauff nor Keys has held the No. 1 ranking, so a second Major title is essential for Hall of Fame credentials. NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 09: Sloane Stephens of the United States embraces Madison Keys of the ... More United States after Stephens won the Women's Singles final match on Day Thirteen during the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 9, 2017 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo byfor USTA) Gauff and Keys traveled similar paths to their first Grand Slam title. They were both teen phenoms with high expectations. Born in Illinois, Keys moved to Florida with her family when she was ten to attend the Evert Tennis Academy. Gauff was born in Atlanta, but her parents moved to Delray Beach, Florida, to support their daughter's tennis training. Gauff trained at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France when she was ten. In her first Grand Slam final, the 2017 US Open, Keys lost in humiliating fashion to friend and fellow American Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-0. Keys had 30 unforced errors, appeared overwhelmed, and wept after her defeat. Gauff played poorly in her first Grand Slam final, the 2022 French Open. Iga Swiatek defeated Gauff 6-2, 6-4. Gauff committed 39 unforced errors. After the match, like Keys, Gauff sobbed. However, Guaff and Keys have contrasting playing styles. Keys brings the power with a big serve and massive forehand. Although she said she likes playing on clay, Keys is less comfortable on the surface than Gauff, who won the 2018 French Open juniors title. MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 25: Madison Keys of the United States makes the winner's speech ... More holding the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup at the Women's Singles Trophy Presentation following the Women's Singles Final against Aryna Sabalenka during day 14 of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 25, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by) Keys captured her first Slam title by defeating two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka. In Keys' post-match press conference after winning the Australian Open, she told reporters she had to recalibrate expectations. "I felt like from a pretty young age, I felt like if I never won a Grand Slam, then I wouldn't have lived up to what people thought I should have been. That was a pretty heavy burden to kind of carry around," Keys said. "I finally got to the point where I was okay if it didn't happen. I didn't need it to feel like I had a good career or that I deserved to be talked about as a great tennis player." Queens, N.Y.: Coco Gauff holding her trophy after defeating Aryna Sabalenka to win her first grand ... More slam in the the Women's Singles US Open Tennis Championships at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, Queens, New York on Sept. 9, 2023 (Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images) Gauff also defeated Sabalenka to win her first Grand Slam title, the 2023 U.S. Open. Gauff's win trounced the men's final in television viewership. But losing in the 2023 French Open was a wake-up call for Gauff. "Honestly, I feel like probably this French Open is honestly where it changed. Because I felt pressure to back up the final, and I obviously didn't. So I was, like, Okay, well, I've got to reset," said Gauff in a press conference following her U.S. Open win. "Then Wimbledon happened, and that was a tough, tough loss, because I thought I was playing good tennis leading up to that. " That was when Gauff made a coaching change. She hired tennis commentator and coach Brad Gilbert. She went on a tear in the hard-court season, winning. This year, at Roland-Garros, with four-time French Open champion Swiatek and No. 1 ranked Sabalenka on the opposite side of the draw, Keys and Gauff have a good opportunity to make the final. Last month, before the Italian Open, Keys spoke with reporters about how wide open tournaments are in the post-Serena Williams era. EASTBOURNE, ENGLAND - JUNE 30: Madison Keys of the United States shakes hands at the net after ... More winning her semi final match against Coco Gauff of the United States on Day Seven of the Rothesay International Eastbourne at Devonshire Park on June 30, 2023 in Eastbourne, England. (Photo by) 'I think part of it is because we've kind of lost some of our legends obviously. Like there's no longer Serena Williams in every draw where you just assume she's going to win,' Keys said. Gauff and Keys are three match wins from solidifying their legacy as a future Hall of Famer. Even reaching two Grand Slam finals separates them from fluke one-hit wonders. However, winning that second title erases all doubt and ends the one-Slam wonder slander.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
French Open Day 11 Best Bets & 83/1 Accumulator: Djokovic in The Groove
French Open Day 11 betting preview We're down to the business end of the tournament now and there is still so much to play for at Roland Garros. There might be no Brits left in the singles draw but Neal Skupski, Joe Salisbury and Luke Johnson are still flying the flag in the doubles. Skupski and Salisbury are through to the last four as they look to add to their Grand Slam tallies and secure win their first together, while Johnson is still to play his quarter final match with Dutch partner Sander Arends. The last of the quarter-finals take place today and there promises to be some cracking action on the Philippe-Chatrier Court, beginning at 10am BST. We've got four French Open bets for day 11 which combine to make a four-fold, returning at 83/1 with BoyleSports and other betting sites. Madison Keys vs Coco Gauff Prediction Coco Gauff is yet to drop a set in this year's French Open as she looks to reach her second final in Paris but standing in her way on Wednesday is fellow American Madison Keys. Keys, who is seeded seventh, had to come from a set down against the 31 seed Sofia Kenin in the fourth round and that tough clash could stand her in good stead in this one. Gauff has been barely challenged yet so it will be interesting to see how she fares when she is put under pressure. This will be the sixth meeting between the two players, and it is Keys who leads the head-to-head 3-2, including victory in their last meeting, which was also on clay. They met in the last 16 of last year's Madrid Open when Keys won 7-6 4-6 6-4 on her way to the semi-finals. We're predicting another close one this time around, but if Gauff is on her game, then she'll be too strong for her opponent. Mirra Andreeva vs Lois Boisson Prediction Lois Boisson played the match of her life to reach the quarter-finals, overcoming third seed Jess Pegula 3-6 6-4 6-4 to set up the tie with the sixth seed Mirra Andreeva. The French woman was given a wildcard for the event and has been the surprise package, although after beating 24th seed Elise Mertens in the first round, we shouldn't be too surprised. She is ranked 361st in the world at the moment, so in theory, this should be an easy route to the last four for Andreeva, who is yet to drop a set in either the singles or doubles competitions. The 18-year-old has been in impressive form so far and is looking to reach the last four for the second year in a row. This could be one step too far for Boisson, despite the support from the home crowd; the key will be how much her last match took out of her. Tennis betting sites are all backing Andreeva, who is no bigger than 1/8 in the French Open odds. So, you have to get creative to find a worthwhile bet and we like the price on a rapid Andreeva victory. French Open Day 11 prediction 2: Andreeva v Boisson under 18.5 games - 11/10 Betfred Jannik Sinner vs Alexander Bublik Prediction Another player who was in outstanding form in the previous round was Alexander Bublik. The Kazak played some scintilaring tennis to knock out the number five seed Jack Draper 5-7 6-3 6-2 6-4. If he could play at that standard more often then he would be far higher than his ranking of 62 in the world but Bublik is certainly unpredictable. As he proved on Monday, and against the ninth seed Alex De Minaur, he can beat anyone on his day but the fact he is yet to win a single title says a lot about his consistency. In Jannik Sinner he is playing one of the most consistent players around with the Italian yet to lose a single set in his four matches so far. His longest match of the tournament has been just two hours, and he has only been on court for five and a half hours in total. Whichever betting apps you us, Sinner is the heavy favourite for this contest. However, Bublik is a handful when performing at the peak of his powers and has shown enough to suggest it's worth considering pairing a Sinner win with both players to claim a set. Alexander Zverev vs Novak Djokovic Prediction This match has the potential to be the match of the day and it's a close one to call. Novak Djokovic has looked pretty good so far but he's yet to really be tested. Alexander Zverev will certainly test him, after all the number three seed has reached the last four in Paris four times in the last four years and was a beaten finalist 12 months ago. This will be the first time they have met on clay since 2019 when they played at the same stage of the competition. Djokovic was the winner in three sets on that occasion before he was beaten in the semi-finals by Dominic Thiem. Zverev has won three of their last five meetings, although the last one in the semi-finals of the Australian Open came courtesy of a retirement by Djokovic. A fully fit Djokovic is a match for anyone on clay and we may see a vintage performance from the Serb come the night session at Roland Garros. French Open Betting Offer Sinner has looked in great form in Paris so far and punters wanting to back the Italian to win his first French Open title can get claim enhanced odds of 50/1 with talkSPORT BET. The bookmaker has boosted his French Open betting odds in the latest special talkSPORT bet sign up offer, which is only available to new customers. Open an account using the link below, make an initial deposit of at least £5 and then wager a maximum of £1 on Sinner at the normal odds in the French Open outright winner market. If Sinner does claim the title, talkSPORT BET will pay out on the £1 bet in cash with the extra winnings credited in free bets. Please gamble responsibly When having a bet, it's vital to practice responsible gambling. When using gambling sites be aware that sports betting can be addictive. Please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you're using new betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium. Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses. It's particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution. You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs. You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:
NBC Sports
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Tennis players wake up early or stay up late and it can be anyone's guess what time matches start
PARIS — Some tennis players, like plenty of people in other walks of life, absolutely hate waking up early to go to work. Not so Coco Gauff, who is just fine with competing at any time of day. Indeed, the 2023 U.S. Open champion prefers a morning match time to what she referred to as 'the graveyard shift' — and at Grand Slam tournaments, there often are contests that stretch past midnight. So at the French Open, Gauff probably didn't mind when she saw she was scheduled to face Australian Open champ Madison Keys at 11 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) in an all-American quarterfinal. 'I'm one of those players that doesn't care,' said Gauff, a 21-year-old from Florida who is the No. 2 seed in Paris. 'I can get up early. I'm not slow to wake up. Once I get some food in me, I'm pretty much good.' Tennis is an all-day sport at Grand Slam tournaments like the French Open Tennis is an all-day sport, especially at its Grand Slam tournaments, where ticket sales and TV contracts bring in millions and drive decision-making by organizers. The French Open, U.S. Open and Australian Open all have night sessions that can stretch to 2 or 3 a.m.; Wimbledon has an 11 p.m. curfew. So in Paris, for example, a match can start at 11 a.m. or 8:15 p.m. or anywhere in between — or, occasionally, much later. It is a frustrating aspect of the sport for the athletes or for fans hoping to see a certain player. Scheduling at Roland-Garros has been a hot topic, with questions about why the first match every day in the main stadium — before most spectators have arrived, leaving thousands of empty seats — involves women, and why the popular night session exclusively has gone to men. The primetime slot that hasn't been offered to any women in Paris since one match in 2023 often means extra attention and exposure. It also can mean staying up past one's bedtime. Madison Keys is done with the night-owl life 'If I could never play at 1 a.m. ever again for the rest of my life, I would be so happy,' No. 7 seed Keys, a 30-year-old born in Illinois and based in Florida, said with a laugh. 'You know when you're going to go on. There's no chaos. You go to bed at a totally normal time. I feel like I've lived my night-owl life, and I would really love to be that first-on slot for the rest of time.' Other than the initial matches on each court in the morning and at night, it is impossible to know when to warm up and ramp up. Tennis isn't a timed sport, so it's anyone's guess when, say, a day's third or fourth match in a given arena will begin — and as the temperature and weather shifts across the hours, the clay at the French Open can shift, too. Daily schedules often are released in the late afternoon or evening prior, and while players can make requests, those aren't always accepted. Waking up at 6 a.m. can be a struggle for tennis players 'That's one thing that's not good about tennis: We don't know when we play until the day before,' said Holger Rune, who was the No. 10 men's seed at the French Open and reached the fourth round. In team sports, he continued, 'They know already in December when they're going to play in May. You can prepare much easier. We tennis players also (deal with) the change of conditions, the change of countries, surface, whatever.' When he was a teen participating in junior tournaments, Rune recalled, there were 9 a.m. matches. 'You have to wake up at 6,' the Dane said. 'It's a struggle.' Emma Navarro, an American who reached last year's U.S. Open semifinals, is not fond of competing late. 'I'm super particular, I guess would be the word, about my sleep. I got to get my sleep in. I try to get 10 hours a night. If it's dark outside, I'm probably sleeping,' Navarro said. 'I'd prefer, probably, to play first-on than late-night. Around 8 or 9 p.m., I start shutting down.' Most have their preferences. Carlos Alcaraz, the 2024 men's champion at Roland-Garros, wants to play in the day. Alexander Zverev, the 2024 runner-up, is a fan of the night. And then there are those such as No. 8 seed Lorenzo Musetti, an Italian who faced No. 15 Frances Tiafoe of the United States in a quarterfinal that started a little after 3:30 p.m.. 'Whatever time they give me,' Musetti said, 'I'll play.'
New York Times
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Coco Gauff and Madison Key's French Open quarterfinal and a clash of tennis superpowers
ROLAND GARROS, PARIS — There's a moment in nearly every long tennis point involving Coco Gauff these days, when an opponent believes she's won it with a ball that lands an inch or two from the line. Then it comes back, and then then so does another, and maybe one or two more. When it finally ends, often in Gauff stealing it, there's a marked contrast between the two players. One player is doubled over, gasping for air. The other is strolling into position for the next point, mouth closed, air calmly streaming in and out of her nose. Advertisement Guess who is who? Off all of Gauff's superpowers, put those lungs at the top. There's a moment in nearly every Madison Keys match these days — especially during a Grand Slam — when her back is against a wall and she really needs the point. One player is shifting around, wincing with stress, while the other one looks like it's 1-1 in the first set. Keys used to look like the apocalypse had arrived in those moments. In the past year, she has acquired a preternatural calm, a deep breath into her lungs in moments of strife. She displayed it over and over again on her march to the Australian Open title in January. She displayed it again against fellow American Sofia Kenin in the third round at Roland Garros, saving three match points late in the third set. The points that used to crush her have become the ones when she turns to her husband and coach, Bjorn Fratangelo, sitting courtside in her box, with an 'I've got this' look – because she genuinely does. Wednesday's French Open quarterfinal duel between Gauff and Keys exists on multiple levels. They got tagged with the 'next Serena Williams' label at a young age, roughly eight years apart. Keys, 30, has watched Gauff, 21, evolve and endure an uber-version of what she went through during her late teens, when everyone told her the sport was hers for the taking. The apparent generational battle manifests as one of styles on the tennis court. Keys was reared in an era when the game was about digging in and swinging hard. Gauff grew up as the focus shifted toward movement and court coverage, the ability to find winners or reverse the momentum of points from every spot on the court. And then there's the clash of the powers that stands out more than any other. Gauff's engine against Keys' ability to lower her blood pressure when everyone else's spikes. This match may turn on those more than anything else. Advertisement Gauff said over the weekend that there's only one player on the tour who can stay with her in a long match: Zheng Qinwen, who matched her shot for shot for over three hours in their past two matches, both of which Gauff won. In Gauff's third-round match at Roland Garros, Marie Bouzková of the Czech Republic tried to beat her by becoming a human backboard, stretching points with deep looping shots in a bid to induce errors from an impatient Gauff. For a while, it worked, but Bouzková lacked the weapons to win her service games after playing lungbusters for most of Gauff's. The American ended up with a 20-12 edge on points that lasted longer than eight shots. There was one especially long point, early in the second set, that had both players scrambling up and back and all across the baseline. Bouzková won it. Gauff didn't care, because she looked over and saw Bouzková bent over, using her racket to keep her from tumbling onto the clay. 'I was aware that my heartbeat wasn't really high at all,' Gauff said with a grin. 'It felt fine.' Gauff knew that was one way that Bouzková likes to play. With a set in that bank, Gauff was pretty sure there was no way she could manage that against her for the better part of two more sets. The advantage becomes especially stark when she plays against teenagers who, regardless of their talent, don't have the miles in their legs or their lungs. In the second round, the shoulders of Tereza Valentová, 18 and a rising Czech talent, were heaving between points after 45 minutes. The same happened to Victoria Mboko, the 18-year-old Canadian making waves this spring, who took the first set off Gauff at the Italian Open then quickly realized her gas gauge had tipped to empty. None of this surprises Chris Eubanks very much. Eubanks, the ATP Tour player, Gauff's surrogate big brother, and an analyst for TNT at this tournament, has known Gauff since their early childhood days in Atlanta, before Gauff moved to Florida. When Gauff was 15, Eubanks, who is eight years older than her, started spending as many as 10 days training with Gauff during the off-season. By then, she was already doing full-on adult-style track and gym workouts. Advertisement Training with Gauff in the heat of South Florida is not for the faint of heart, he said. Every drill becomes a contest, even when they're just going cross-court or down the line at each other. He's not sure just what it takes to make her crack. 'There's never been a day on which we've been practicing together and you felt like, she's she's giving out,' he said during an interview this week in Paris. 'She's always been ultra competitive. I've never personally seen her seen gas on a on a court in a match or or in practice.' What might set Gauff apart, Eubanks said, is that plenty of players view fitness work as homework, something they have to do but would happily skip if that was an option for those seeking to reach the top. Gauff actually likes it. And it's led to success in those long matches, which makes her confidence grow when the clock ticks. 'If you've never done it, it can be a bit taxing,' Eubanks said. 'The more reps you get, I think the more confidence you get.' Keys has been getting those reps. She spent the fall and winter working with Reshard Langford, a former NFL defensive back who is now one of the top strength and conditioning coaches at the U.S. Tennis Association. That's given her the belief that she can stay with Gauff physically, but she knows the red clay of Roland Garros only gives Gauff an even greater edge on the points when she can use her legs and her lungs. 'You're going to have to win the point multiple times before it's actually over,' Keys said. 'Then you also have the threat against her of, if at any point you lose control of the point, she's going to be the aggressor.' Keys does not want to let that happen. She's worked on getting comfortable with all the difficult moments that tennis requires, with accepting that she needs to take her chances and go for her shots and not worry so much about the outcome. Safe and tentative is not where she wants to be, regardless of what the scoreboard says. Never did she display that more than in the Australian Open final against Aryna Sabalenka, serving at 5-5, 30-30 in the deciding set. Advertisement Sabalenka sent a return screeching back at Keys' shins. She bent her knees, let the ball come across her body and redirected it into the postage stamp in the opposite corner of the court. The kind of shot that looks good on television, but whose brilliance comes with the fact that it is a shot that only a tennis player with diamond conviction can produce. What a cracker from @Madison_Keys! Maybe the best shot of her career, at maybe the biggest moment of her career! She's on the cusp!@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2025 — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2025 'In the past I would maybe get a little bit more tentative and kind of play a little bit more defensively in big moments, and now trying to make the push to continue to play the way that I was playing in order to get up in scores,' Keys said in Paris. What becomes apparent when listening to Keys is how little of this is the product of changes in technique and equipment, even though she has tweaked her serve and changed her racket. The bigger changes can happen on the off days, when she takes in the sights in world capitals instead of hibernating in her hotel room. Losing is fine, as long as she loses on her terms. That goes a long way when she's facing match point or when she's holding one, or when she just wants to show Fratangelo who's the boss. For instance, he wants her hitting her backhand crosscourt about 99 percent of the time. 'I typically go for something ridiculous down the line and I make it, and I look at him and give him a funny face,' Keys said. There will likely be a moment Wednesday when Keys will look across the net and think of the version of Coco Gauff she met roughly a decade ago, when Gauff was a hyper-talented tween headed for big things amid big hype. 'It's been really fun kind of getting to see her do so well at such a young age,' Keys said of Gauff. She's older now. They both are.
