Racquet change gives Madison the Keys to Open glory

Madison Keys has borrowed a daring ploy from the Roger Federer playbook to be on the brink of an improbable Australian Open finals triumph.

Contesting just her second grand slam singles final, Keys will take on top-ranked two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for the title at Melbourne Park on Saturday night.

Few are giving the 29-year-old a hope of upsetting the world No.1.

Even Keys, a former junior prodigy who arrived on the pro scene at 14, feared her best opportunities of capturing a grand slam crown may have been behind her following a heartbreaking US Open semi-final loss to Sabalenka in 2023.

The American won the opening set 6-0 but lost in a third-set tiebreaker after serving for the match.

“I would be lying if I said that there wasn’t doubts,” Keys recalled after saving a match point against world No.2 Iga Swiatek in Thursday night’s semi-finals.

“That felt like such a huge moment. I felt like I was so close. To be that close and to lose it was just so heartbreaking.

“I felt like I’d really left it all out there. That’s really all you can ask. But at the end of the day, it’s still such a tough one to have to go home on.

“So that one took a little while to kind of heal from and get past.”

Last year was a despairing one too, with Keys forced to quit with a hamstring injury while leading eventual runner-up Jasmine Paolini 5-2 in the fourth round of Wimbledon.

She also missed the Paris Olympics and crashed out in the third round back in New York.

Hence why Keys, at the behest of her coach and husband Bjorn Frantangelo, figured something had to change.

So, just as Federer changed to a bigger racquet head before conquering great rival Rafael Nadal in the 2017 Australian Open final, Keys made a bold equipment change before the summer.

The 2017 US Open runner-up switched from Wilson to Yonex – and the results have been incredible.

Keys is unbeaten in 2025, following up her march to the Adelaide International title with six straights wins at Melbourne Park to make the final.

“The big focus for me this off-season was really just kind of buying into ‘I’ll try anything, I’ll do anything, I’ll be open’. I’m open to any and all changes. Let’s just really go for it,” said the world No.14.

“Obviously I’m at the later point of my career. It just kind of felt like, ‘Why not?’

“However many more years I have, be willing to adapt and be a little bit more open to change.”

Keys admits she knew very little about racquets and string tension before her husband convinced her to switch it up.

The move has proven a game – and potentially a life – changer if she wins the Open.

“I feel like I’m able to kind of go for things a little bit more, but have the ability to be able to control them a little bit more,” Keys said.

“One of the big things is, especially on the days where I’m not really feeling things, I felt like I have the ability to kind of manipulate things with my racquet and my hands and kind of have a little bit more safety.

“I was kind of struggling with that before.

“I definitely think it’s obviously been a huge benefit for me and has brought a lot more to my game.”