“Didn’t you see that West is maybe cheating on [Batula]?” she asked me, as we had ostensibly become the only two people in the room.
“There’s rumors of that now! Yes! Potentially [cheating] with Ciara! No, it’s crazy, and a joint statement was like the craziest PR move I’ve ever seen in my entire life!”
The press conference eventually pivoted back to the tennis, but suffice to say Keys enjoyed a stress-free April Fool’s Day. The same can’t be said for her agent, on whom she played a prank with an assist from tournament director Bob Moran.
“We texted her in like a group chat, and we’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, did you hear what happened with the podcast and everything?’” recalled Keys, pretending a controversy had arisen out of The Player’s Box podcast, which she co-hosts with fellow players Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady, and Desirae Krawczyk. “And then Bob also texted her, like, ‘Hey, we need to talk,’ and then none of us responded.
“She did figure it out. She said she was freaking out for like 20 minutes and then saw the date and just texted all of us that she hates us. It was very funny.”
The 2019 Charleston champion will aim to keep the good vibes going in her next match against Hungary’s Anna Bondar.
