Madison Keys’ fans expressed their disappointment after the Wuhan Open reportedly handed out inappropriate merchandise.
Keys last appeared at the US Open, where she lost to Qinwen Zheng in the third round. Keys won the first set 6-1, but lost a close second set to her Chinese opponent, forcing the match into a decider. Keys led 5-0 in the deciding set before losing seven games in a row. She fell 1–6, 7–6(3), 7–5.
The American tennis player has since been absent from the tour, including at the Wuhan Open. Zheng herself was supposed to headline the event after her recent victory at the China Open. However, she has withdrawn from the tournament, citing a right shoulder injury.
At the Wuhan Open, fans spotted a merchandise stall selling Keys and Zheng’s US Open merch. A keychain featured their score from the US Open. Some found the merch disrespectful toward the Australian Open champion. One shared a picture of the merch on social media.
A fan expressed their discontent with the tournament and referred to the merch as “pathetic.”
“It’s a bit pathetic that they’re selling it in the tournament store🤡 Total lack of respect for Madison Keys, but they probably feel entitled to it since she’s not playing there.” (Translated from Polish)
Another fan wrote:
“This is tacky.”
One fan suggested they would sue if they were in Keys’ position.
Here are a few more reactions:
Madison Keys opens up about her mental struggles following her US Open exit
Following her early exit at the US Open, Madison Keys candidly spoke about a mental block during the match. She said that although she had a good lead, she got scared and was unable to swing her racket. Keys also stated that tennis felt hard at the moment and confessed to undergoing internal struggles. Since the US Open, Keys has pulled out of competing at the WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan.
“I feel like I obviously got off to a really good lead, and then I just got really — I mean, got really scared, like I couldn’t swing,” Keys said, as per Ubi Tennis. “I don’t know. Tennis just feels really hard right now, so I feel like that kind of took over. I mean, I just feel like I’ve kind of been struggling for a while now, and I feel like I was able to kind of play through it for a bit.”
“I’m sure everyone could kind of see that I was struggling a little bit, but inside it felt probably even bigger than that. Yeah, some weeks are easier than others, and this week is obviously one of the harder ones just because you care so much. Yeah, I’m going to have to make some sort of changes. No, I think it’s been something that’s been building for a while. I just kind of keep pushing it off and pushing it off just because that’s how the tennis world works. It’s just to the point where I actually need to do something about it.”
Madison Keys’ last tournament win was at the Lexus Eastbourne Open in 2026, where she beat Tatjana Maria 7-5, 6-4 in the final.
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