Madison Keys Picked Up Tennis Because of Venus Williams' Wimbledon Dress

You never know where inspiration may strike and how it can change sports history. This week, Madison Keys won her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2025 Australian Open.

Keys' career-defining accomplishment came 15 years after her first professional WTA tour-level match. The 29-year-old recently credited a trailblazing American women's tennis star for piquing her interest in the sport, but not because of her play.

Keys began playing tennis because she loved the white Reebok dress worn by Venus Williams during the 1999 Wimbledon tournament. Ten years later, Keys would hit the WTA tour.

Keys said, "[I started playing tennis] because of Venus' white dress at Wimbledon, and I wanted a white to wear at Wimbledon. I didn't know what tennis was, and my mom was like, 'I'm only going to buy you a tennis dress if you play tennis.'"

The four-year-old Keys replied, "Great. Cool. Sign me up!" And just like that, the direction of tennis history would be changed thanks to the massive influence of Williams and Wimbledon.

Keys has competed at Wimbledon 11 times with a record of 26-11. She has reached the quarterfinals twice (2015, 2023). Her powerful game does not lend itself to the iconic grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, but that does not diminish the impact Wimbledon has had on Keys.

During last year's Wimbledon tournament, Keys suffered a hear-breaking hamstring injury, which she called "one of my toughest moments" on the court. The 2025 Wimbledon is scheduled for the first two weeks of July.

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