Hard work and dedication proved to be the key for Maddy! The 29-year-old Madison Keys creates history at this year’s AO, becoming the fourth oldest first-time major champion behind Flavia Pennetta, Ann Jones, and Francesca Schiavone to win a Grand Slam. Not only that, she became the first at the AO since Serena Williams in 2005 to beat the world’s top two to become champion. A staggering statistic, isn’t it? Well, her performance in this year’s opening Grand Slam yielded significant results, as ESPN recently reported further impressive statistics regarding her match, attracting comments from a former world No. 1 doubles player.

The anticipation of the final match of the AO between Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys was palpable. Both the ladies brought an unmatched 11-match winning streak into the contest. Apparently, this was the first time after 1988 that two players who won lead-up matches came into the AO, including Sabalenka’s win in Brisbane International and Madison’s win in Adelaide International. And how was the match? Evenly poised! Both the ladies won 1 set each before coming to the final set under the lights at Rod Laver Arena. The third set? After a 6-5 in the third set, the American closes the win, 7-5, converting the second match point with a decisive inside-out forehand winner. And, right after the match, ESPN PR came up with some eye-catching statistics which surely caught the eye of Rennae Stubbs.

Following the match’s end on the 26, the ESPN Press Release came with viewership statistics, which are simply staggering! The X handle of the channel quotes, “This past weekend, tennis fans tuned in to watch American Madison Keys win her first @AustralianOpen title & first Grand Slam title ever! 🎾 Most-viewed #AusOpen Women’s Semis on ESPN since ‘21🎾 Women’s Champ on ESPN up 34% year-over-year.” And, just after the post got online, the former coach of Serena Williams, Rennae Stubbs, reposted the tweet, while adding “Let’s go team!!!” She didn’t end there!

Following her post, one fan quoted an inspiring fact, “Averaging that many viewers at 2am – 6 am in the morning is actually insane!” to which the former world No. 1 replied, “YES, shows you how popular Tennis is…” Well, this is not the only time the legendary coach spoke about TV viewership after the AO final.

Following the match between Sabalenka and Madison, Samba TV also revealed some mouth-watering data regarding the women’s singles final. “This weekend’s Australia Open Women’s Singles Finals between Madison Keys and Aryna Sabalenka drove more viewership than 2024, with massive spikes across Australia (+55%), the UK (+54%), and the US (+48%). Americans were also the only one of the three to watch the Women’s Singles in larger numbers than the Men’s Singles by a margin of 4% (due, of course, to Keys),” the channel added in their official Thread handle, following which Stubbs replied, “Let’s go ladies!!!!! Who wants to talk to me about equal prize money?”. 

Madison, who clinched her first Grand Slam since turning into a pro at 14, will now look forward to winning another one coming this May at Roland-Garros. However, before that, Stubbs congratulated her and Keys’ teammates for the immense success. 

‘What a freaking match,’ Rennae Stubbs raves about Madison after her AO triumph 

The American finally reached her destination but in a hard way! The current world 7 seed, Madison Keys, made history at the Rod Laver Arena this past Sunday when she achieved GS after her 46th major, replacing Marion Bartoli, who won in her 47th major at Wimbledon 2013. Additionally, Keys also became the second-oldest professional to win her maiden Slam at the AO in the open era since 31-year-old Li Na clinched it in 2014. Immediately following the match, her accomplishment was acknowledged with the elevation of her ranking from 19th to 7th, a feat mirroring her career-best ranking achieved in the 2016 US Open final. And, after the match, she got praise from the great coach.

Stubbs, who was watching the final right from the RLA, posted the winning moment of Maddy with a video, quoting, “The moment! Omg @Madison_Keys did it! What a freakin match!! @AustralianOpen.” She even posted a carousel of pictures on her Instagram story right after the match, which included the trophy presentation, and post-match winning moment, and shared an ESPN women’s post about Maddy pointing at her teammates, while quoting, “It’s takes a village! @bjornfrat @lang_r48 @theathleteconnection @madisonkeys”. 

She even congratulated her team members while mentioning her husband Bjorn Fratangelo’s post about her, mentioning, “This sums it up! Congrats to these 3 for ALWAYS believing in her!”

Madison, who will miss the ATX Open because of tournament odds, will hope for a successful year ahead in 2025. However, considering her form, do you think she will win another slam this year? Share your thoughts below!