‘Best honeymoon ever’: Keys hails reluctant husband-coach after maiden Grand Slam title

Madison Keys paid tribute to her coach and new husband Bjorn Fratangelo saying it “was the best honeymoon ever” after winning her first Grand Slam title on Saturday aged 29 — and then revealed he did not even want the job.

The American battled injury and self-doubts last year and curtailed her season early, in October, to get married.

“I feel like this is the best honeymoon ever. This is perfect,” a beaming Keys said.

The former teen prodigy, who first won a WTA match at 14, has now finally got her hands on a major after beating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the Australian Open final.

“I have the most supportive, best husband in the entire world, who didn’t even want to coach me,” Keys said on Channel Nine TV straight after lifting the trophy.

“And I was like, please, please come with me.

“So it took some arm-twisting, and he has just been the most supportive, and he’s fully believed in me every step of the way.”

Keys is the fourth-oldest first-time winner of a major since the Open Era began in 1968.

She overcame fierce three-set challenges from both the two top seeds, Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, in the semi-final and final.

“I have absolutely the greatest team,” Keys said.

“They have really believed in me in the moments that I didn’t believe in myself.

“They helped me completely rebuild after some pretty gnarly injuries last year.

“And if it wasn’t for those three people who have been cheering me on all week through all of the three-set matches, I wouldn’t be here.”

Keys is on a tour-leading 12-match unbeaten streak after lifting the Adelaide International trophy two weeks ago and will move up to world number seven, equalling her career-best ranking from 2016.

“I think dealing with some of the injuries that I dealt with last year really kind of forced me into some changes. “It made me kind of have to stop being stubborn and listen to my husband.

“It pushed me to get a little bit uncomfortable and be okay with that. And I feel like buying into that just set me up to start playing some really good tennis.”

The American ended world number one Sabalenka’s dream of becoming the first woman for 26 years to win a third successive Melbourne Park singles title.

Keys yelled in delight and wiped away tears on securing the title after withstanding a fierce fightback from the Belarusian two-time defending champion.

Sabalenka, the 2023 and 2024 champion, buried her head in a towel after her 20-match win streak at Melbourne Park was ended.

Sabalenka was gracious after a first Melbourne defeat since 2022.

“First of all, Madison, what a tournament. You have been fighting really hard to get this trophy,” Sabalenka said.

“I really feel like it’s home when I’m here and I’ll come back stronger and do my best next year.”

It was Keys who came out of the blocks playing exemplary tennis to put Sabalenka under pressure and race to the first set in 35 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

The Belarusian began to flip the script in the second set, breaking in the third game and moving ominously ahead 3-1.

Another break followed on a brilliant Sabalenka cross-court pass and she levelled the match after an hour and 20 minutes on court.

The 26-year-old Sabalenka by now was timing the ball much better and a younger Keys might have buckled.

But this mature version of Keys, who battled all the way to beat Iga Swiatek in a 10-point final-set tiebreak in the semi-finals, is made of sterner stuff.

At 5-6 when Sabalenka served to take it to another final-set tiebreak, Keys brought up two match points.

She held her nerve to secure the long-awaited title on the second with her 29th winner after 2hr 2min.

Agence France-Presse