Madison Keys shares one major technical reason behind her success at this year’s Australian Open
Madison Keys changed her racquet upon the advice of her husband and coach, Bjorn Fratangleo, a few weeks before the 2025 Australian Open.
Follow Us
Madison Keys (image via Instagram @madisonkeys)
Amongst the many changes Madison Keys made to her game before winning the Australian Open title, one of them includes changing her racquet. Keys had used Wilson for a long time, which has a partnership with the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, where she trained in her youth, since before she was even a teenager.
It was her husband, Bjorn Fratangelo, who convinced Keys to switch from her lifelong use of Wilson racquets to the Japanese brand Yonex. Fratangelo has been her coach since June 2023. They later tied the knot in November 2024. Fratangelo remarked that Keys liked the Yonex racquet right away, and it felt like “a match made in heaven”.
I think I had two different Yonex racquets… I picked one up and within five minutes I was like, ‘This is it. I’m happy. I don’t need to try anything else’.
Madison Keys told the reporters
Keys began hitting with a Yonex racquet weeks before the 2025 Australian Open. She went on to win her maiden Grand Slam title in this tournament with back-to-back victories over World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. After the title win, Keys’ ranking ascended from 14th to 7th.
Yonex sponsors several other tennis players like Joao Fonseca, Casper Ruud, Stan Wawrinka, Ben Shelton, Naomi Osaka, and Elena Rybakina. Fratangelo himself switched from Babolat to Yonex in the middle of his playing career.
Madison Keys has had an impressive 2025 season
In addition to her change to the Yonex racquet, the 30-year-old American opened up about her work with a therapist. She has credited much of her success to the talk therapy that she has been engaging in that helps her deal with pressure and has boosted her self-confidence.
It was kind of scary because there were times when my therapist was very honest and said, ‘Your tennis might get worse, because sometimes you do have to feel worse before things start to get better.‘
Madison Keys added
After her sensational run at the Australian Open, Madison Keys took a break due to a hamstring injury, skipping the Middle East swing. She returned to tour at home soil with the Indian Wells, where she made it to the semifinals.
In the semifinals Sabalenka took her revenge, defeating Keys in straight sets. Keys then competed in the Miami Open, where she lost in the third round to wildcard Alexandra Eala. Eala had been on a phenomenal run, having defeated three Grand Slam champions in straight sets before eventually losing to Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.
Pegula will face World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Miami Open finals, who is looking to win her second title of the season after facing defeat in the Australian Open and Indian Wells finals.
Madison Keys headlines the Charleston draw
The Credit One Charleston Open is set to begin, marking the start of the clay-court season on the Hologic WTA Tour. It is the first WTA 500 event on clay this year. Nine of the world’s top 20 players will compete on the famous green clay courts in Charleston. The main draw starts on Monday, March 31, with all 16 seeded players receiving a first-round bye.
Jessica Pegula, ranked No. 4 in the world, is the top seed. She has reached the Charleston semifinals in the past two years but has not made the final yet. After her first-round bye, she will play either wild card Heather Watson or a qualifier in the second round. Pegula hopes to finally break through and claim the title.
Keys and Daria Kasatkina are in the bottom quarter of the draw. Keys, the No. 2 seed, made her first clay final in Charleston in 2015 and won the title in 2019. She enters this tournament as a Grand Slam champion after winning the Australian Open and reaching a career-high ranking of No. 5. Kasatkina, the No. 5 seed, won her first WTA title here in 2017. This will be her first event playing under the Australian flag.
Another Grand Slam winner, Sofia Kenin, is also competing in this quarter. She won the Australian Open in 2020. In the first round, Kenin will face fellow American Bernarda Pera. Fans can expect exciting matches as top players battle for the Charleston title.
Stay Updated!
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)