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Madison Keys' coach and husband Bjorn Fratangelo revealed having a tough talk with the American, which seemingly turned her fortunes. She is now set for her second Grand Slam final eight years after her first. The 2017 US Open finalist will face Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday in search of her first Grand Slam title.
Fratangelo, a former tennis player who won a singles title at the 2011 French Open, dated Keys since 2017 before tying the knot in November last year. The 31-year-old has been coaching the American since 2023 and they have now reached their first Grand Slam final together.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the final at Melbourne Park, Fratangelo recalled having a tough talk with Keys at the end of the 2023 season, which served as an eye-opener for the 29-year-old.
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"It was just kind of, like, 'How much do you want to get out of this? Are you happy with staying 11 through 25? Do you want to try to push for more? What do you want? You're almost 30 years old,'" he said (via WTA).
The 31-year-old said he had a 'very good eye' for understanding what was happening in a match, and would accordingly give the input to Keys.
"Something that I bring to the table is I have a very good eye for what's going on inside the match at all given moments and I'm able to kind of adjust the game plan on the fly.
"I think I've been able to bring that to her game, where I can see things a little bit quicker than she can. When she does come over (to the coaching box), I can give her a gentle nudge of what's happening," Madison Keys' coach added.
Keys is fresh off defeating five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in a three-set thriller and will return to the Top 10 for the first time since 2023. She has won 13 of her first 14 matches of 2025 and would be eager to secure her first major on Saturday.
Madison Keys was in disbelief and burst into tears after qualifying for the Australian Open final
Madison Keys was on the brink of elimination at several moments during the semifinal against Iga Swiatek. But she came back every time to reach the second Grand Slam final of her career, after an eight-year wait. After losing the first set, the 29-year-old dominated the second and battled in the third for a tiebreak win.
Keys was in disbelief after the win, and she blacked out in the final moments.
"I'm still trying to catch up to everything that's happening. I felt like I was just fighting to stay in it. ... It was so up and down and so many big points. ... I felt like I blacked out there at some point and was out there running around," Madison Keys said (via Sports Illustrated).
The 29-year-old later turned emotional again during a post-match interview while appreciating the work she had done to reach the Grand Slam final. She will now take on World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday, Jan. 25.
