Madison Keys' husband Bjorn shares how he eased American's self-doubts about her ability to challenge Aryna Sabalenka & Iga Swiatek

Madison Keys' husband, Bjorn Fratangelo, shared how he helped boost the American's confidence in her ability to compete against top players like Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. At the recently concluded 2025 Australian Open, Keys defeated Swiatek and Sabalenka in the semifinals and finals, respectively.

During the Melbourne Major, Keys secured victories over Ann Li, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Danielle Collins, Elena Rybakina, and Elina Svitolina before triumphing over Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. She then went on to defeat Sabalenka in the final, claiming her first Grand Slam title.

In a recent episode of the 'Served with Andy Roddick' podcast, Madison Keys' husband, Fratangelo, shared that Keys had doubts about her ability to beat top players after she lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round of the 2024 China Open.

Fratangelo expressed that World No. 7 doubted herself to defeat the likes of Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek again.

“I’m going to tell you one thing she told me after she lost to [Aryna] Sabalenka in Beijing. We got back to the hotel room she throws her bag down she’s sitting on the bed, silent for a couple minutes and she looks at me and she’s like, ‘Do I have it ?’ And I was like, ‘Sorry, like what do you mean?’ And she’s like, ‘Do I still have it? I know I can be like 30 in the world but like, do you think I can still compete with like Aryna [Sabalenka] and Iga [Swiatek] and these girls or like, is it too far gone?’” Fratangelo said.

Bjorn Fratangelo stated that he motivated Madison Keys by assuring her that with a few adjustments to her game, she could indeed defeat players like Sabalenka and Swiatek.

“I was like, ‘I think you can but what I say doesn’t hold weight you don’t think it.’ I said, ‘I think there’s a couple things that need tweaking, you can’t just do the same thing that you’ve done and be able to have the same results. There’s a few things that we can work on during the off season,” he added.

Madison Keys has faced Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek six times on the WTA Tour, winning two matches against each.

---

“This is where I’m gonna cry, I have wanted this for so long”: Madison Keys after winning Australian Open 2025

Madison Keys speaking to the press after winning the 2025 Australian Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

While speaking during the post-match trophy presentation ceremony following her win over Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the 2025 Australian Open, Madison Keys expressed that she wanted to win a Grand Slam title for a very long time.

Keys said that after coming in as the runner-up at the 2017 US Open, losing the title to Sloane Stephens, she had doubts about ever reaching a Major final again. That's why the win was special to her.

“This is where I’m gonna cry. I have wanted this for so long and I have been in one other Grand Slam final and it did not go my way and I didn't know if I was ever going to be able to get back to this position to try to win a trophy again,” Madison Keys said.

The World No. 7 also conveyed her gratitude to everyone who supported and pushed her to achieve her dream of winning a Grand Slam title.

“Last year was so tough with some really bad injuries and I didn’t know I was going to be able to do it again. I am so appreciative to every single person who helped me continue to believe in myself and push me to achieve this dream . Thank you so much and I cannot wait to see you all next year,” she added.

Before beginning her campaign at the 2025 Australian Open, Madison Keys competed in the ASB Classic, reaching the quarterfinals before being defeated by eventual champion Clara Tauson. She then went on to win the Adelaide International, triumphing over Jessica Pegula in the final to claim the title .