Madison Keys suggests Coco Gauff had an advantage in their French Open quarterfinal which played right into her hands

Madison Keys’ unlikely Calendar Grand Slam campaign came to an end in the French Open quarterfinals.

This year’s Australian Open champion, Madison Keys, returned to Grand Slam tennis in Paris with a strong run through to the quarterfinals.

Keys took down Daria Saville, Katie Boulter, Sofia Kenin, and Hailey Baptiste to set up an all-American quarterfinal clash with Coco Gauff.

Despite taking the first set 7-6, she couldn’t quite get over the line, as Keys lost to Gauff, 7-6, 4-6, 1-6 on Court Philippe Chatrier.

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After the match, Keys gave her verdict on the conditions on Chatrier, suggesting they may have played a role in the outcome of the match.

Madison Keys says the cold and rainy conditions favored Coco Gauff in their French Open quarterfinal

During her post-match press conference, Keys explained how the closed roof affected her performance.

“It was a different environment to play in. It was a lot more dead and slow with the roof closed, and obviously it is cold and rainy,” she said.

“It was just very different conditions. I would much prefer it to be bouncy and hot, but that’s just the reality of the weather.

“I think the conditions like they were today, unfortunately, I think play more into Coco [Gauff] and make her even tougher to beat.”

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Keys went on to say how Gauff’s game forced her into errors she wouldn’t normally make.

“I think the court being a little bit slower, coupled with the fact that she covers the court so well, I think it just put a little bit of pressure on me to go a little bit more for my shots and maybe press a little bit too much too soon,” she said.

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“I think also there were a lot of points where I felt like if I was playing someone else, I would have won the point but having to reset two or three times it just makes it harder, where even if you win six of those but if you are losing three or four they could be important points.”

Keys and Gauff’s quarterfinal clash was an entertaining affair, but it wasn’t one of immense quality.

Sharing 101 unforced errors and 14 double faults between them, both Gauff and Keys will likely be keen to move on from their performances.

For Keys, the defeat saw her dreams of a Calendar Grand Slam go up in smoke, but she may take some comfort in knowing she came a lot closer than many of her predecessors.

How impressive was Madison Keys’ Calendar Grand Slam bid?

The Calendar Grand Slam is arguably the sport’s most difficult achievement, as it involves a player winning all four Majors in a single year.

Only three players in the history of the women’s game have achieved the Calendar Grand Slam, the last of which did so 37 years ago.

Remarkably, only two players this Century (Jennifer Capriati – 2001 and Serena Williams – 2015) have won both the Australian Open and French Open to reach the halfway stage of the Calendar Grand Slam.

Keys will be disappointed not to have joined Capriati and Williams in doing so, but can still be proud of her efforts, going further than many have in the last ten years.

Year Australian Open winner French Open performance Notes 2025 Madison Keys Lost in QF – 2024 Aryna Sabalenka Lost in QF – 2023 Aryna Sabalenka Lost in SF – 2022 Ashleigh Barty – Retired after winning the Australian Open 2021 Naomi Osaka Lost in 2R – 2019 Naomi Osaka Lost in 3R – 2018 Caroline Wozniacki Lost in 4R – 2017 Serena Williams – Won the Australian Open and announced pregnancy soon after 2016 Angelique Kerber Lost in 1R – 2015 Serena Williams Won Won Wimbledon and reached US Open semi-finals Calendar Grand Slam attempts (2015-2025)

Ten years ago, Williams came painfully close to joining the illustrious group of Calendar Grand Slam winners.

The American won 25 of the 27 matches required to accomplish the feat, before Williams was stunned by Roberta Vinci in the US Open semi-finals.

It remains to be seen if anyone will come closer to winning the Calendar Grand Slam than Williams, but it will certainly be something to look out for in 2026.

The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to begin on January 12 in Melbourne.

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