Coaches Corner: Fratangelo on Keys' new 'tools' for Australian Open Final

MELBOURNE — Just hours after Madison Keys edged No.2 Iga Swiatek in a dramatic third-set tiebreak, her coach and husband, Bjorn Fratangelo, returned to Melbourne Park to strategize for the Australian Open final. On the eve of the championship match, Fratangelo had high praise for Aryna Sabalenka, the opponent standing between Keys and the title.

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"I think she's No.1 in the world for a reason," Frantangelo told reporters. "Maybe Aryna is a little more of the polished version of Madison. Similar in size, similar game style. Aryna I think just does things a little bit better over the course of a 52-week calendar year."

Frantangelo has been scouting Sabalenka throughout the tournament and has been impressed by her resiliency, which he compared to the game's all-time greats.

"What I've seen from her now is just what the greats do is they have the ability to raise the level when it matters most," Fratangelo said. "For instance, in that Pavlyuchenkova match, I was watching that at night in the room in the hotel, and there just wasn't a doubt in my mind that she wasn't going to win that match. That's kind of how you feel with Novak when he plays most matches, Serena when she played most matches, Roger, Rafa, you know. I think she has that now.

"I think the difference with her and Iga [Swiatek] is Iga brings that sort of Nadal mentality towards every single point, where I would say maybe Sabalenka's mindset is a little more Federer-like: You can throw in some errors, people will hold serve, but at the crunch moments, she's going to win. That's what she's been able to do so well. It's a credit to her and her team. She keeps improving year after year."

Tennis wasn't always the family business for Keys and Fratangelo, who began dating in 2017 and were married last fall. Both were teenage phenoms on the court, with Keys turning pro at 14 and Fratangelo winning the boys title at 2011 Roland Garros, beating Dominic Thiem in the final. But as Frantangelo's career on the ATP tour came to a close in 2023, the two found themselves discussing their careers more and more at the dinner table.

As Keys opened up about her doubts and aspirations, Fratengelo couldn't help but ask the tough questions.

"It was just kind of like 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."

The two started dating in 2017 and were married last November. After struggling with injuries, Keys returned to the tour last spring and asked Fratangelo to be her full-time coach. It was an uncomfortable transition at first. Fratangelo didn't love telling Keys what to do or standing behind her during practice. But Keys trusted Fratangelo's tennis eye and experience, and she was willing to take on his suggestions without much hesitation. 

"Something that I bring to the table is I have a very good eye for what's going on inside the match at all given moments," Fratangelo said, "and I'm able to kind of adjust the game plan on the fly. I think I've been able to bring that to her game, where I can see things a little bit quicker than she can. When she does come over [to the coaching box], I can give her a gentle nudge of what's happening."

With Fratangelo's guidance, Keys has won 13 of her first 14 matches of 2025 and is set to return to the Hologic WTA Tour Top 10 for the first time since 2023.

"Sharpening the axe can get you so far, but sometimes you just need new tools," Fratangelo said. "I think that's what I've tried to bring to the table. She's obviously done it her way for so long. It's brought her great success and an amazing career. 

"I just thought, 'OK, if we make a few changes and some subtle tweaks here and there, maybe being 15 in the world turns to 10 and 10 can turn to 8, then all of a sudden you're in the mix, and you're being talked about again, like she is now."