Cover Girl Madison Keys’ Coffee Confessions

Bill Simons

There was peace in the valley – the Coachella Valley. 

The tennis gods observed a day of rest. Not a single No. 1 seed was toppled. An all-time great from Serbia wasn’t dismissed. The game’s most charismatic player (think Nick Kyrgios) didn’t limp away. A British princess wasn’t dethroned (Emma Raducanu) and the WTA’s most appealing, enigmatic star (Ms. Osaka) wasn’t stung by defeat. And, speaking of stings, not a single bee descended on the courts today. 

Simply put, there weren’t any shock results. Before today, four of the top men’s seeds – Zverev, Ruud, Rublev and Djokovic – were booted out. 

And, while there was a hefty tremor in Southern California this afternoon, the tennis Richter scale flatlined today. Iga Swiatek again baked a bagel, 6-0. So what else is new? Dubai champ Stefanos Tsitsipas put his new unmarked Babolat racket to good use as he downed Matteo Berretini. Alex Michelsen withdrew early in his match against Daniil Medvedev. Veteran warrior Marcos Giron beat Alexei Popyrin, and, while No. 14 seed Danielle Collins lost, Holland continued to thrive – Tallon Griekspoor advanced. 

In other words, tennis took a deep breath today and provided fans with some good ‘ole normalcy. And the more biblical among us recalled Isaiah’s timeless advice: “In quietness and trust is your strength.”

WHITHER NOVAK? We all know that Novak Djokovic, 37, is a wonder who long has humbled wannabes almost half his age. The warrior, with his short hair and long resume, has outlasted icons Roger, Rafa and Andy. 

The well-chiseled man from the mountains likes to carve up the record book. He sets goals. Last year he craved to claim Olympic Gold at last – mission accomplished.

In Melbourne, the GOAT who’s won 24 Slams wanted to surpass Margaret Court’s all-time record – mission not accomplished.

Sure, Novak has more hit records than Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift. He’s won 99 tourneys and certainly wants to reach the century mark. And, for that matter, he’d want to equal the record of 109 titles currently held by Jimmy Connors, another ATP star who used his backhand and return of serve to punish his foes.

But, inexplicably, Novak hasn’t won a tourney since November, 2023. And, the sky is falling – the mighty man is on a three-match losing streak. In Australia, before he left with a serious hamstring tear, he did beat Carlos Alcaraz. But he didn’t exactly tear it up in Doha or Indian Wells – he didn’t win a match.

Novak doesn’t seem as fast as before. He’s not as explosive. He doesn’t dominate. His aura is dimmer. Too often he sprays his groundies. He complained about the slowness of Indian Wells Stadium 1. Why didn’t he practice there to get used to its high bounces?

Nole’s coaching alliance with Andy Murray hasn’t fizzled. But it’s surrounded by question marks – what’s their chemistry? How long will it last?

And how long will Novak last? The Serb adores defying conventional wisdom. What athlete takes better care of his body? Do you really want to bet that he won’t make deep runs in Miami, Paris or London? He loves to look at great peaks and then summit them. Yet we see hints of weariness, and few deep bends or shots of wonder.

Still, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the GOAT could ascend one more mighty mountain? 

MADISON KEYS’ COFFEE CONFESSIONS: When a reporter asked Madison Keys about her interest in coffee, the fun-loving 29-year-old replied, “My husband and I are avid coffee drinkers. It’s definitely our routine to start the day.

“I always really enjoy it, especially on a weekend when I’m not rushing out of the house to go to practice, to actually kind of go through the steps.

“We’ve every way of brewing coffee, so we could open a small coffee shop out of our kitchen. We have the pour-over, the Hario pour-over, multiple Moka pots, we have the French press. If you’re ever in the area and you need a cup of coffee, you can come to our house.” Keys added that Australia is the best country for coffee. Good cups are always accessible.

Speaking of coffee, years ago, Brazilian Bruno Soares explained a surge in his play by saying he had “about 22 cups of coffee.”

Our favorite coffee story comes from Chris Evert. She told IT, “The first time I ever met President George Bush Sr., we were going to a dinner with the Chinese [prime] minister. [Then] I spent the night at their house…He wanted to know all the scoop on players. [Then I] went to bed. The next morning at 7 there’s a knock on my bedroom door. It was the Vice President. He said, ‘Chrissie, why don’t you come over to Barb’s and our bedroom – we have some newspapers waiting for you.’

“I said, ‘Let me get dressed first. I’ll come over in a few minutes.’ He said, ‘Don’t get dressed, come over in your PJs.’

“I go into their bedroom, they’re both in their PJs, with papers thrown all over the bed. He offered me a coffee. I jumped on the bed, lounged on it, and had my coffee with Barb and the Vice President.”

ROMANCE AT INSIDE TENNIS: In 1981, just as Inside Tennis was starting, I was researching a story on sports fitness when I met a beautiful young woman, Caroline Axt. We fell in love, married and had two great daughters, Claire and Abby.

In 1982, Inside Tennis’ Managing Editor Joel Drucker met our talented art director, Joan Edwards. They immediately hit it off and soon began a storied romance and married that thrived before Edwards sadly passed in 2010.

Recently, Inside Tennis’ contributing editor Vinay Venkatesh announced his engagement to New York’s physician Maithili Udupa. Similarly, Tennis Channel’s Logan Finnel announced her engagement to Marc Merchant. Logan, who once was the captain of LMU’s tennis team, began her career in the sport by working at Inside Tennis. 

BIG BEN IN A LITTLE ROOM: At 9 PM on a Saturday night, most 22-year-olds are out on the town.

Ben Shelton, the No. 12 player in the world, walked into a small windowless press room deep within the Indian Wells stadium. There were only two reporters at the press conference. Amazingly, both were from the same small suburban village – Larchmont, New York – myself and The Athletic’s Matthew Futterman. 

Shelton has a warm, inviting face. He said he came early to Indian Wells to practice, and prepared hard on Stadium 1 and the outer courts, which play very differently.

Shelton said his powerful yet beautiful service motion comes from his throwing motions in football and baseball. He added, “My explosive power comes from my legs.” The American wore a bright blue No. 42 baseball cap to honor Jackie Robinson. He then fielded a string of lightning-round type questions. 

Funniest person: Frances Tiafoe.

Best athlete: Gael Monfils.

Smartest athlete: Mackie McDonald has a high tennis IQ and so does Taylor Fritz.

Favorite stadium: I have never played on Wimbledon Centre Court but their Court No. 1 is pretty sick. But my favorite has to be Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Toughest mentally: Rafa or Novak. You can’t go wrong with either.

BEST STROKES: Before Alex Michelsen had to withdraw due to illness, we asked the rising Southern Californian what were the best strokes he’d ever faced. He replied:

Serve: John Isner

Forehand: Joao Fonseca 

Backhand: Alexander Zverev

Volley: Tommy Paul

Return of Serve: Novak Djokovic

Speed and anticipation: Alex de Minaur

Mental Toughness: Djokovic

MARCOS IS MAKING HIS MARK: The former NCAA champion from UCLA, Marcos Giron, achieved his best Masters result, reaching the fourth round by beating No. 26 Alexei Popyrin, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. Giron saved 14 of the 15 break points he faced against the Aussie. The 5′ 10″ Thousand Oaks native, spoke of the value of playing a wide range of events in SoCal and competing at Ojai and for UCLA. The 31-year-old next faces No. 15 Frenchman Arthur Fils.

WHO’S KIDDING WHO? Former US Open champion Coco Gauff, the No. 3 player in the world, who was the flag bearer for America in the Olympics, is a mainstay on TV ads and last year was the wealthiest woman athlete in the world, told the Indian Wells crowd that she didn’t consider herself famous.

On Indian Wells’ first Saturday night, Aryna Sabalenka’s opening-round match drew 16,000 happy fans. There was a buzz in the air. Then, after her win, the No. 1 player in the world said the evening had the same atmosphere as a Grand Slam final. It was a lovely evening, but …

HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW: After his first-round win, the 18-year old Brazilian Joao Fonseca was the toast of the town. Then he was toast (or should we say he was bageled). He tamely fell to Brit Jack Draper 6-4, 6-0. 

SAY IT ISN’T SO: At Carlos Alcaraz’s press conference, there were more questions about golf and bees than tennis.