Australian Open champion Madison Keys has spilled the beans on the game-changing move she made on the advice of coach and husband Bjorn Frataneglo that helped turn her career around and make her a grand slam winner. Keys took down World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final on Saturday night, stopping the Belarusian from winning a third-consecutive title in Melbourne in a 6-3 2-6 7-5 stunner.
Keys was contesting her second grand slam final, seven years after her first at the US Open in 2017 when she fell to compatriot Sloane Stephens. The 29-year-old Keys has experienced a stunning resurgence in recent months after it looked like the former junior prodigy had missed her best opportunities of capturing a grand slam crown.
She suffered a crushing loss against Sabalenka in the US Open semi-final in 2023 after taking the first set 6-0 and serving for the match in the third. And last year she was forced to quit with a hamstring injury while leading eventual runner-up Jasmine Paolini 5-2 in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
The American also missed the Paris Olympics and crashed out in the third round of the US Open last September. And that was the catalyst for her decision to make a massive change at the behest of her coach and husband Frantangelo.
Madison Keys lifts the lid on game-changing racquet switch
Just like Roger Federer did when he changed to a bigger racquet head before winning the Australian Open in 2017, Keys decided to make a bold equipment change of her own. The American switched from Wilson to Yonex at the start of the Aussie summer – and the results have been incredible.
Keys is unbeaten in 2025, winning the Adelaide International title and following it up with seven-straight victories to win the Australian Open title. She admitted on Friday she knew very little about racquets and string tension before her husband convinced her to switch things up.
And the move has proven a game – and now life – changer. “The big focus for me this off-season was really just kind of buying into ‘I’ll try anything, I’ll do anything, I’ll be open’. I’m open to any and all changes. Let’s just really go for it,” said the world No.14.
-“Obviously I’m at the later point of my career. It just kind of felt like, ‘Why not?’ However many more years I have, be willing to adapt and be a little bit more open to change.”
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Keys explained how the bigger racquet head has suited her game. “I feel like I’m able to kind of go for things a little bit more, but have the ability to be able to control them a little bit more,” she said.
“One of the big things is – especially on the days where I’m not really feeling things – I felt like I have the ability to kind of manipulate things with my racquet and my hands and kind of have a little bit more safety. I was kind of struggling with that before. I definitely think it’s obviously been a huge benefit for me and has brought a lot more to my game.”
After saving a match point against World No.2 Iga Swiatek in Thursday night’s semi-finals, Keys admitted she feared her best tennis might have been behind her. But on Saturday night she took down the World No.1 and back-to-back Australian Open champion to become the toast of the tennis world.
with AAP
