Recently, the clay season came to a close, and now tennis has swiftly moved onto grass.
The 2025 Roland Garros will be remembered as a remarkable tournament, showcasing the talents of ATP and WTA Tours stars in Paris.
On the women’s side, Coco Gauff clinched her first French Open title with a hard-fought victory over Aryna Sabalenka.
The following day, the men delivered an unforgettable match on Court Philippe Chatrier, with Carlos Alcaraz staging a comeback from two sets down to defeat Jannik Sinner.
As excitement grows for Wimbledon, which marks the return of Grand Slam play, there is still much tennis to be played in the meantime.
Two American players have initiated their grass-court seasons with strong wins and have reflected on their performances.
Madison Keys expresses envy over past women’s absence at Queen’s
For the first time since 1973, women will participate in this year’s Queen’s Club Championships.
Madison Keys, the number two seed, is being regarded as a strong contender to secure the title, which has not been won by a female player since Olga Morozova 52 years ago.
Following her first-round victory, Keys shared her feelings about previously being ‘jealous’ of the men playing at Queen’s in the absence of a women’s tournament.
“I’ve always been envious watching the men play here, as they frequently mention how incredible it is to compete at Queen’s, so being here now truly feels amazing,” she remarked.
Keys secured a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Russian player Anastasia Zakharova in her opener, discussing the challenges of the match.
“I felt good overall, though it’s never easy to open your grass season, especially against someone who’s been more active. But once I settled in, I believe I played quite well,” she said.
The Australian Open champion shared her love for playing on grass courts, expressing a desire to add this tournament to her accolades.
Keys, who has won all three of her grass finals, has yet to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in ten attempts.
Her aim is to build momentum at Queen’s for a strong performance at SW19 this year.
Currently ranked eighth in the world, she is set to face either Katie Boulter or Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals on June 13.
Taylor Fritz shares thoughts on feeling ‘very old’ in Stuttgart
American player Taylor Fritz also began his grass season with a victory, defeating Quentin Halys 6-3, 7-6 in Stuttgart.
Reflecting on the match, Fritz highlighted both players’ solid serving in a closely contested second-round encounter.
“I started strong, breaking his serve early, and the rest of the match was quite consistent,” he noted.
“Both of us served effectively, making it a challenging match. I managed to save two break points in the second and the tiebreaker mirrored the match flow.”
Fritz then mentioned what has been repeatedly said to him in Stuttgart, making him feel “very old.”
“Everyone keeps reminding me of my first appearance here in 2016, which definitely makes me feel my age, but I’m glad to be back,” he remarked.
He recalled his 2016 debut match with Roger Federer, where he lost in three sets.
Now at 27, Fritz is preparing for his quarterfinal match against Marton Fucsovics on June 13.
