The American tennis player Madison Keys has had her husband, Bjorn Fratangelo, as her coach. The duo has worked together since 2023 after Keys parted ways with former coach Georgi Rumenov Payakov in 2022.
The couple’s partnership seems to be bearing fruits as Keys defeated world No.7 Elena Rybakina to progress to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Keys defeated Rybakina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in a thrilling three-set match at the Margaret Court Arena, extending her winning streak to nine games this year.
With American tennis star Coco Gauff eliminated by Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa, 5-7, 4-6, Keys and Emma Navarro are the only two American women left Down Under.
The last time an American woman won the Australian Open was in 2020, when Sofia Renin defeated Garbiñe Muguruza.
Keys started playing tennis at age four when she first saw Venus Williams play at Wimbledon.
The 29-year-old made her tennis debut at the junior level at age 12 and turned pro on her 14th birthday.
Keys has yet to win a grand slam title in individual and doubles format. The close she came was in 2022 when she reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
This year, with her husband by her side, Keys has a chance to etch her name in history and bring the trophy back home.
Madison Keys’ Husband, Bjorn Fratangelo, Is a Former Player Turned Coach!
Bjorn Fratangelo is a former tennis player who has focused on coaching.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Frratangelo and his family moved to Naples, Florida, when he was in high school so he could play tennis against a larger pool.
Frratangelo began playing tennis at age three and is named after tennis champion Björn Borg.
Let alone Fratangelo his father, Mario Fratangelo, was also a coach. Mario coached his son, Bjorn Fratangelo, for the most part.
At age 18, Fratangelo won the boys’ singles title at the 2011 French Open, beating Dominic Thiem in the final.
Thiem achieved a world ranking of three in 2020 and won the US Open the same year.
Bjorn Fratangelo, on the other hand, struggled after turning pro. The furthest he reached in a grand slam event was the second round in the 2016 French Open and the 2017 US Open.
In 2016, Fratangelo ranked 99, the highest he reached in his career. In the 2021 US Open, he partnered with Madison to debut in mixed doubles, but the pair only reached the second round.
Later, Fratangelo retired in 2023 and became a full-time coach for Keys.
Madison and Bjorn Fratangleo Tied the Knot in 2024!
Tennis player Madison Keys and Fratangelo crossed paths for the first time in 2016 at a tennis facility in Boca Raton, Florida, and since then, they have become inseparable.
The pair began dating in 2017, and six years later, the tennis player turned coach, Fratangelo went down on one knee to pop the big question.
Following her win at the Charleston Open, Keys shared that the proposal took place at home after she had returned from Dubai.
Keys and Bjorn Fratangelo, a former tennis player, tied the knot in November 2024 in Charleston.
Keys shared a gallery of images from her wedding day on her Instagram handle, dubbing it the best weekend of her life.
Fratangelo also shared a few images from the wedding and wrote a heartfelt caption for his wife. The tennis coach wrote, “Can’t put into words how amazing this day was. I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with you.“
Previously, in an interview with Tennis.com, Keys shared her experience quarantining with Bjorn after COVID-19 forced everyone indoors. She said:
Being in quarantine together has really shown us that we don’t have to be doing something in particular to enjoy being together. We laugh together a lot and Bjorn is constantly keeping me on my toes.
via: Tennis.com
In a recent interview with the Australian channel Nine, Key was asked about the best and worst parts of being coached by her husband.
Keys said the best part was that they could see each other. She explained that when they started dating, they also played together and didn’t have the same schedule.
This made it tougher for them to see one another constantly.
The American tennis player then shared the worst part of having her husband as a coach.
She said, “The not-so-great part is having to tell him that he was right a lot of time, not super fun!“
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Madison Keys began her tennis career by being coached at the Evert Tennis Academy, founded by John Evet and partly run by Tennis Hall of Fame Chris Evert.
- Madison Keys’ parents, Rick and Christine Keys are attorneys, and Rick is also a former college basketball player.