After 16 years in tennis, Madison Keys has finally clinched her first Grand Slam title! She took down No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka in an epic final with scores of 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. This victory marks her maiden Grand Slam win after eight long years and a journey filled with challenges. And it’s no fluke—Keys defeated four top 10 players, including fifth seed Elena Rybakina and second seed Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. What’s her secret?

Keys started strong, dominating the first set with her killer serves and powerful groundstrokes. Sabalenka fought back to take the second set, but Keys held her nerve in the deciding set, coming from behind to seal the win with a stunning cross-court shot. In her post-match press conference, she noted that the change came about after months of analysis on her technique. She added that her mindset changed after defeating Swiatek: “I can absolutely win on Saturday.” And win she did!

The last time Keys was this close to a major title was in the 2017 US Open against Sloane Stephens. While that match didn’t go her way, she turned it around this time. Now, Alexander Zverev is on the brink of a similar moment as he faces ATP World No. 1 Jannik Sinner tomorrow. When asked what advice she’d give him, Keys humbly said, “Against Jannik, I feel like he has better advice to beat Jannik than I do.”

She said, “Against Jannik…I feel like he has better advice to beat Jannik than I do.” While she doesn’t mention it directly, the H2H between the world No.1 and No.2 have competed against each other six times in the past, with their H2H at 4-2 with Sascha in the lead. However, given Jannik’s dominating performances in the last year, he clinched two Grand slams, won six titles, and even reached the No.1 ranking in the span of one season, making him a formidable player. Keys noted, “I think at some point it’s really just kind of letting go of the stress of ‘will I ever win one?’ and not really worrying about it and just playing tennis.”

That’s exactly what she did against both Iga and Aryna. Even after losing the second set to Sabalenka, she didn’t let it get to her. With Swiatek, it was a little more different; while Keys was in the zone, the Pole made distracting attempts to throw her off her game; one might recall her doing practice shots while Madison was getting ready to serve in the second set.

But as she phrased it, “At the end of the day, that’s all you can control and you can only control your side of the court so, that’s all you can focus on. If you put yourself in that position enough times then, usually good things happen.” That’s the wisdom of a Grand Slam champion! Interestingly, she also made equipment changes right before the 2025 season on her coach Bjorn Fratangelo’s advice. Could this have been the key to her victory?

Keys changes up her racket before stepping into the 2025 season

Last year was tough for Madison Keys. A shoulder injury forced her to withdraw from the 2024 Australian Open, and in July, she suffered a hamstring injury while leading her fourth-round match against Jasmine Paolini at Wimbledon. Despite holding a 5-2 lead in the third set, she had to retire. But everything changed in 2025, thanks to a crucial adjustment from her husband and coach, Bjorn Fratangelo. She kicked off the year by clinching the Adelaide International title and now finds herself in her second Grand Slam final!

The big change? Her racket! Keys switched from her longtime Wilson Blade Pro to a blacked-out Yonex Ezone during an exhibition match with Sloane Stephens in December. Veteran agent Max Eisenbud was skeptical about the switch, but Fratangelo believed in it. Keys explained, “It just feels like I have the ability to kind of maneuver things a little bit easier.” She added, “I felt like it was just getting a little bit difficult to play with on bad days.”

Now, with her first title under her belt, who knows what this champion will bring in the future? After all, the 2025 season has just begun! Keys is ready to take on whatever comes next on the court.