What a year this has been for American women’s tennis! We’ve seen plenty of title triumphs, but if asked to single out one big win among those, it’d surely be Madison Keys’ 2025 AO glory. It was emotional, to say the least. She broke down in tears after her massive win against Iga Swiatek in the SF, and the scenes were no different when she eventually crossed the final hurdle, beating the World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, becoming the oldest first-time women’s champion at the AO. “This is where I’m gonna cry. I have wanted this for so long,” Keys made a heartwarming confession. What an act of resilience, isn’t it? And what an inspiring comeback story! Keys’ compatriot Jessica Pegula has now had her say on it.

Recently, Pegula, who also got off to a stellar start to her 2025 season by clinching the ATX Open, reflected on Madison Keys’s incredible journey. Keys got married to her longtime partner, Bjorn Fratangelo, in November 202,4, and a few months later, she won titles in both Adelaide and Melbourne. From helping her battle “a lot of anxiety” to improving her game further, her husband played a key role in her rise; that’s undeniable.

Pegula has known Keys for a long time, and not too many people would be happier than her watching that incredible moment unfold at the Melbourne Park, “I think growing up, kind of being touted as the next big thing since she was 13, 14 years old, I remember because I think I was a year older, and I was much more under the radar, but I remember all the pressure that she had from such a young age, losing that US Open final and not going the way she wanted, losing some big matches,” Pegula said.

Previously, Madison Keys has spoken about her mental struggles and how she put immense pressure on herself to win a major title. The last few years have truly “been a rollercoaster” for this 30-year-old American, in Pegula’s words.

Speaking more on Keys’ tougher days, Pegula added, “Seeing her kind of go through all those moments and maybe second-guessing herself, whether she was ever going to get one, you know, seeing her win, it was just really nice. It was a really nice moment for her, especially post-wedding, being a newlywed and all these great things going on in her life.” But what is that key factor that might have helped Madison Keys clinch her first major title this season?

Well, according to Jessica Pegula, it’s just being happy in her personal life, which helped her achieve this milestone. Does Keys agree? Well, while talking about it, Keys revealed that her victory was a long process that started long before she entered the Rod Laver Arena. She even needed “lots of therapy” to let go of expectations and negative emotions to bring out her A-game in these types of crucial matches.

However, apart from Keys and Pegula, a lot of other American WTA players have also been in the limelight recently. What do these two experienced campaigners have to say about the future of American women’s tennis?

Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula share their thoughts on the good times of American women’s tennis

Apart from the heroics of Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula, we saw American youngsters like McCartney Kessler (Hobart International), Amanda Anisimovic (Qatar Open), and Emma Navarro (Merida Open) find some success this year. Owing to their incredible rise, currently, there are 17 American women inside the Top 100, and guess what? Coco Gauff leads the pack of four inside the Top 10!

Speaking about this massive rise, Pegula said, “I just think that our depth is pretty incredible. I think it has been, though, honestly, for a few years now. I think we’re just seeing more Americans maybe in the top 10, obviously top 20, for sure. That’s definitely a big change. You know, having Coco and Maddie win Slams over the last couple of years as Americans is huge for women’s tennis or for women’s tennis in America.”

Despite this, it has been almost 24 years since an American woman (Serena Williams) won the Indian Wells title. Can we see a change this year? “I think that the U.S. women have pretty consistently done really well. And I think right now it’s obviously, you know, we’re all doing really well. I think it’s probably been a little while since there has been so many American women doing as well as they are,” said Madison Keys.

It has been a long time since we last saw three American women inside the Top 5. Just a few days ago, even the ATP star Taylor Fritz admitted women have been “carrying” American tennis for a very long time. Do you agree? Share your thoughts in the comments below.