What does it take to accomplish the Grand Slam dream? Well, for Madison Keys, it took bringing in a new team, with her now-husband Bjorn Fratangelo as coach, having a brand new racket, and a tweak in the service motion. End result? Grand Slam glory at the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park. With a score line of 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, she overcame the challenge of World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup. The 30-year-old is a Slam champion now, and it was possible only because of the key transitions she made in the months leading to the tournament. But what prompted her to make so many changes?
Keys, who’s back in action in the Indian Wells, has already made it to the fourth round. She kicked off her campaign last week with a straight set win over Amanda Anisimova. Then, followed it up with another victory in a crunch R32 encounter against Elise Mertens on Monday, beating the Belgian 6-2, 6-7, 6-4.
In the post-match interview, she was asked about the multiple changes made this season. Is she happy to imbibe them in her playing style? Keys replied, “I definitely am very happy that I made a lot of the changes.” But it wasn’t an easy decision, according to her. “I think that it obviously takes a lot of courage to make changes.”
Explaining her point further, she added, “I think for a long time I was more stubborn about not making the changes, because I also felt like I didn’t want to just search for answers. I felt like I had a lot of control over getting myself out of scenarios. So I think there is a delicate balance because you also don’t want to start switching things every time you lose three matches in a row because then you’re never going to have any consistency. And then I feel like you’re always looking for answers outside of yourself.”
However, she also mentioned that “going forward, there is lots of discussions that go into it and making sure that you’re wanting to make the changes for the right reasons.”
Tennis : Australie Open 2025 – Melbourne – 25/01/2025 Tennis : Australian Open 2025 – Melbourne – Madison Keys MELBOURNE PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxBEL Copyright: xSVx
Keys tied the knot with her husband, Fratangelo, in late 2024. However, he had already joined her as the head coach months ago. And he immediately started working on her service. Previously, she used to rely on a safe motion. Bjorn asked her to change it. “It was almost too high, to where I was playing it a little bit safe, but my first-serve points won wasn’t as high as it should be,” Keys said about her old style in an interview with WTA website, dated January 14.
The 30-year-old chose a new Yonex Ezone racket, which she first revealed in an exhibition match in December. Having new equipment helped her to “maneuver things a little bit easier”.
All things considered, Keys’ newly changed style and tools are surely helping her out. Just look at her singles record of 14-1 this season. Incredible, isn’t it? But do you know what else is incredible? Her big leap in the WTA rankings.
Madison Keys finds a place in the top 5 thanks to her Australian Open triumph
Madison Keys ended up achieving a career-high spot in the rankings following her Slam glory down under. She started her season on a good note, clinching the title at the Adelaide International, beating compatriot Jessica Pegula 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in the final. Going into the Australian Open, she already had the winning momentum, and she extended it even further, eventually winning the title.
When the ranking list was updated in late February, Keys earned the fifth position, and with that, she became the 20th American WTA player to reach the top 5 since the official rankings began in 1975. Along with her, two other American players are in the top 5 right now – Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. The 2024 WTA Finals winner is sitting on the 3rd spot, while Pegula is ranked 4th, followed by Keys at No.5.
In over twenty years, it’s the first time that three American women are placed in the top 5 of the WTA rankings. The last time it happened was way back in 2003 when the 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, and Jennifer Capriati accomplished this feat. They were ranked No.3, No.4, and No.5 respectively.
Coming back to Keys, she will look to make a deep run in the Indian Wells and aim for her third title triumph on the bounce. And the way she’s continuing her campaign in the Californian desert right now, it seems very much possible. In the next round, she will go against Croatian Donna Vekic on Wednesday. And guess what? Keys is currently leading the h2h tally 2-1 against her. Definitely, she’s got the edge.
Do you think the World No. 5 will beat Vekic and secure her place in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open?
The post “Takes a Lot of Courage” – Madison Keys Reveals the Biggest Hurdle That Stalled Her Grand Slam-Winning Decisions appeared first on EssentiallySports.
