How Madison Keys’ husband originally reacted when she first asked him to become her tennis coach

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Madison Keys is finally a Grand Slam champion and she achieved this goal in great fashion.

The American defeated the world’s top two players in Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka to win the Australian Open.

Keys broke a WTA record after winning the Australian Open. She became the oldest player in history to beat the WTA’s top two players in the semi-final and final at a Grand Slam since ranking records began in 1975.

Keys achieved this feat with her husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo by her side, and the story of how he joined her team is a fascinating one.

How did Madison Keys’ husband become her coach?

Madison Keys’ journey to a Grand Slam title was made all the more sweeter for her to do so with her husband Fratangelo playing such a key role.

She was without a coach in the spring of 2023 after she split with her previous coach following the Charleston Open. This was until Fratangelo agreed to be her new coach, which has proved to be a genius move.

But during an interview with CBS, Keys admitted it was not easy for her to convince Fratangelo to coach her.

“He played as well, he had some injuries and had to retire about two and a half years ago,” the new World number seven said.

“I didn’t have a coach at the time and I basically had to beg him to come with me. He said ‘I don’t like telling you what to do.

“We’ve done such a good job when we were both playing to stay partners and not really blur the lines and get involved in each other’s careers. But it’s been so amazing and to win this and win it with him, it’s incredible.”

How was Madison Keys inspired to play tennis?

Each tennis player has a different story to tell regarding what inspired them to enter the sport.

In the case of Keys, her story involves being inspired by a dress she saw Venus Williams wear when she watched her play at the age of four. She convinced her mother to buy her a tennis dress, and Keys’ love for tennis was born.

“I started when I was four. I was walking through my parent’s bedroom, Venus Williams was on TV, and I said ‘I really like that tennis dress,’” Keys said.

“I didn’t know what tennis was, no-one in my family plays and I said ‘I want the outfit’. So my Mum said ‘we’ll get you an outfit but you have to play.’ And I mentioned it about three weeks later and she said ‘okay I guess we’ll play tennis’, thanks Mum.”

Keys also had the opportunity to play against the woman whose dress inspired her to play professional tennis. She won four of six matches against Venus including a shock win at the 2015 Australian Open and their last meeting at the 2023 Canadian Open.