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Madison Keys’ story feels like a fairy tale! She just clinched her first Grand Slam at the 2025 Australian Open after 16 long years. Keys took down World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling final, having previously defeated World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. Her victory proves she truly deserves this moment. The win is even sweeter because it’s her first major title alongside her husband and coach, Bjorn Fratangelo, who started coaching her in 2023 after the French Open. With hesitant steps and a a lot of improvements later, the American is finally winning and climbing the ranks. How’s it been for her?

Winning a Grand Slam is no small feat, and Keys waited patiently for her moment on January 25. She triumphed over Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, with a nail-biting score of 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. After the match, she rushed to embrace Fratangelo in the coaching pods at Rod Laver Arena, celebrating their shared success.

Her journey hasn’t been easy. After a rollercoaster 2024 season filled with injuries and early exits, she entered 2025 with renewed energy. Keys reached the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic and won the Adelaide International before her Australian Open victory. Reflecting on her journey with Fratangelo, she told Good Morning America on January 28, “Things have been good! Yeah, I mean being married so far has been great. It’s been amazing. He started helping me about a year and a half, about two years ago and he really didn’t want to. He said he was very uncomfortable with telling me what to do and did not want to do it. I basically had to force him to come with me.”

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If you didn’t know, Keys and Fratangelo have been together since 2006, when they met while training in Florida. Their friendship blossomed into romance, leading to their engagement in March 2023 and marriage in November after her season ended at the Wuhan Open. “It’s just been really nice,” she said about their relationship. “He played when we first started dating, so being able to actually spend time together has been amazing.”

Both were teenage prodigies—Madison went pro at just 14, while Fratangelo’s tennis journey had been a wild ride for a decade before retiring in 2023! From his epic 2016 French Open upset over Sam Querrey to hitting a career-high of No. 99, injuries slowed him down, but now he’s cheering on his wife.

With this win, Madison Keys became the first woman in 20 years to defeat both the World No. 1 and No. 2 players to claim a Grand Slam title since Serena Williams. She expressed her joy, saying, “I was able to now achieve this goal and we were able to do it together; it’s just perfect.” Interestingly, Bjorn had his doubts before stepping into the coaching role!

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Madison Keys finally wins a Grand Slam—was it her talent or Bjorn's coaching that made the difference?

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Madison Keys husband was reluctant to coach her, here’s why:

In 2023, Fratangelo faced a big decision when Madison Keys asked him to coach her. After retiring due to injuries, he was worried that mixing their personal and professional lives would be “too complicated.” But with some encouragement from his own coach, he decided to take the leap. Once they found their groove, their partnership really started to shine! Of course, Bjorn made sure to ask the tough questions before diving in.

Madison opened up about her doubts and aspirations, and Bjorn hit her with the hard-hitting questions: “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.” According to the WTA Tennis website, the couple never saw tennis as a “family business.”  With Bjorn wrapping up his own career in 2023 and Madison looking for a coach, it felt like the stars finally aligned for them.

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Now that they’ve snagged a major title together, who knows what’s next? The world is their oyster, and it looks like they’re just getting started!

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Madison Keys finally wins a Grand Slam—was it her talent or Bjorn's coaching that made the difference?

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