Madison Keys has begun to work with Lindsay Davenport as a coach, TENNIS.com has learned. The three-time Grand Slam champion has hit with other players on occasion, but has not coached consistently before.
Davenport, who lives in Los Angeles, has decided to work with Keys for the rest of this year. But because of her television commitments—analyst work for all the Grand Slams, among other tournaments—Davenport will not be Keys’ full-time coach in 2015. Davenport will talk with Keys when she can, but the 19-year-old will eventually hire a full-time coach next year.
The hard-hitting American has shown promise over the past two years, but she grew a bit frustrated this season after mixed results. After winning a grass-court tournament in Eastbourne in late June, Keys reached a career-high No. 27, but she was unable to get past any quarterfinals and went 9-9 to close out her season.
Currently ranked No. 31, Keys has worked with USTA coaches Juan Todero and Jay Gooding. Davenport, a former No. 1, consistently served big and developed a strong forehand and backhand. But she also showed patience, an important quality of her success. While Keys is one of the biggest servers and can also attack with her forehand, she can be impatient, something Davenport will surely work on during their time together.