Madison Keys says she is trying to "navigate" her own expectations and also have "a good grip on reality" after joining the Grand Slam champions club.
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In the Indian Wells third round - in what was her second match since winning the Australian Open - the No. 5 seed struggled to close out the match against Elise Mertens but ultimately managed to do so and complete a 6-2 6-7 (8) 6-4 win.
But before getting to the finish line, the American blew two match points when serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set and she also didn't convert any of her two match points in the tie-break of that set.
Throughout her Australian Open run, Keys was firing from all cylinders and she registered wins over Danielle Collins, Elina Svitolina, Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka.
Now, the challenge for the American - who is on a 14-match winning streak - is to kind of get back to reality and accept that some ugly matches like the one against Mertens will happen.
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Keys on the importance of having a good grip on reality in post-Slam win period
After beating Mertens, the 30-year-old acknowledged that she didn't play her best but also added that she was trying to manage her own expectations for the first time.
"I think overall in Australia I played some really good tennis, and I think the further away from it you get, the more you kind of forget about the lulls of matches and the moments where you weren't playing great and you kind of just remember all of the really great, fun stuff," the new world No. 5 explained.
"So I think it's also just having a good grip on reality, and that sometimes as great as Australia was and all the wins that I got, there were still some moments in matches where I didn't play great or things got away from me. So just being really conscious of that."
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Next up for Keys in Indian Wells will be No. 19 seed Donna Vekic, who upset 10th-seeded Emma Navarro.
