The American tennis community thrives on close-knit bonds, and the friendship between Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe perfectly shows this camaraderie. Tiafoe affectionately calls Keys “Mom” because of her veteran status. Their playful rapport includes a quirky superstition: Keys noticed she was often lost after Tiafoe’s congratulatory texts in later rounds. Now she jokes, “Don’t text me; I don’t want to hear from you at all.” Their bond goes beyond off-court fun—they won together at the 2023 United Cup, proving their shared success. And now, they’re back for the US Open!
Last week, as the grass court season began, the US Open dropped exciting news. The mixed doubles player list came out, and Madison was paired with Tiafoe! Amid a star-studded lineup, the 30-year-old WTA star admitted it would be “tough” to compete alongside his “celebrity” status. Tiafoe is known for hanging out with stars like Taylor Swift, the NFL’s Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, and even has Michelle Obama’s support!
But that’s just one challenge for Madison Keys. Having teamed with Tiafoe to lead Team USA to the 2023 United Cup win as the No. 2 singles players, both finished with a perfect 5-0 record. She also knows his on-court habits—and she’s not a fan! Talking to the US Open X team, she said, “Having sat behind Frances at United Cup mostly, it’s just like any time he changed his shirt, I’m going to have to put the umbrella up. We might have to clean that up. I’m pretty OCD I like a neat and tidy space or we’ll have to get the tape out and divide the bench in half, and he can have his bench and I can have mine, how I have mine.” Ouch!
These two are cinema @Madison_Keys and @FTiafoe have entered the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship. pic.twitter.com/VJEiqWdd01
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 24, 2025
Frances Tiafoe sees it differently. The American, who’s regaining his footing with a French Open quarterfinal and Houston Open final this year, is excited to partner with Madison Keys. They’ve known each other a long time and even lived in the same apartment building. That means he often asks her “all kinds of questions, doing laundry, and all sorts of stuff, cooking meals.” Is he looking forward to teaming with the Australian Open champion? Absolutely!
Since they’ve done it before, it should be easy, right? But Madison has a few rules for Tiafoe. Like at the Australian Open, will he take credit if they succeed again?
Tiafoe credits himself for Madison Keys’ big win at AO
In January, Keys faced Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling Australian Open final at Rod Laver Arena. After a tense 2-hour, 2-minute battle, Keys triumphed in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, stunning the Belarusian powerhouse. Friends and fans alike showered her with praise, but it was a playful Instagram story from Frances Tiafoe that caught everyone’s attention.
Tiafoe shared a screenshot of a chat with Keys, captioned, “You’re welcome,” jokingly taking credit for her big win. The backstory? Keys had a superstition about receiving texts from Tiafoe during the tournament. Before her semifinal against Iga Swiatek, she explained, “We have this kind of joke where in the past he wouldn’t say anything pre-tournament or anything, and then he would text me, like, in the quarters or the semis or something, and I would lose the next round.” So she set a new rule.
Keys added, “So we have this new rule. Like I saw him a few days ago, and I said, ‘Don’t text me; I don’t want to hear from you at all. Just leave me alone and we’ll talk after the tournament.’” True to the pact, Tiafoe waited until after her victory to send a message, playfully claiming some credit for her success.
Now, all eyes are on their next adventure: the US Open mixed doubles! Will their chemistry and good vibes lead them to the $1 million prize? First, they’ve got to conquer the grass courts at Wimbledon.
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