By Luke Jensen, French Open Doubles Champion
Tennis fans, this a special Jensen Zone because the Aussie Open always produces great stories that get the tour calendar started in a super fun way. This year was no exception; the Australian Open 2025 feel-good story was American Madison Keys.
Madison grew up and began her tennis in the small town of Rock Island, Illinois. Typically, world-class tennis players do NOT come from that part of America. A good friend of mine, Shelley George, is a well-respected tennis coach out of Iowa City and was part of Madison’s tennis development.
Back then, Coach George said Madison stood out with a bundle of everything. Massive, bright smile and always having fun. She had a unique focus for a youngster and picked up quickly on technical improvements. The classical serve motion you see Madison hit these days was learned in those early tennis years. And she has natural hand/eye and mobility coordination.
Tennis was easy for young Madison and it wasn’t that long before she needed a bigger tennis opportunity. That opportunity moved the Keys family to the powerhouse tennis state of Florida. Madison quickly became one of the very best U.S. junior players in the world. Turning professional and bypassing the college pathway saw her rise quickly on the WTA rankings.
In 2017, she reached the singles finals of the US Open, losing to close friend Sloane Stephens. If you watched that final, the Williams Sisters were still the dominant players and two young Americans inspired by them ended up in the final. Madison had played the match of her life in the semis to defeat American Coco Vanderweghe, but the final was emotionally too much for Madison.
As years rolled on, grand slam disappointments and various injuries left Madison feeling like she never would win a major championship. In fact, she was labeled as the most talented player to have not won a major. Madison would have some deep runs, but the tennis world was changing. New WTA stars like Gauff, Swiatek, and Sabalenka were winning slams. Madison continued the fight through the challenging currents of new competition.
Off the court, she began a foundation helping young people fight against online bullying. She fell in love with a fellow player, Bjorn Frantangelo, who is from Pittsburgh and built his game around guts and hard work. They married after a few years of dating; Bjorn retired and began coaching Madison full time. They bought an older house with plans to remodel it into be their dream home. Yet there were the endless flights to tournaments and endless training sessions — the sacrifices of an elite tour player.
Madison always rolled into majors as a player to watch, and as this year’s Australian Open began to take shape, there was Madison but with a new racquet sponsor and a new set up for her serve. As she rolled into the semis, she overcame Swiatek and then in the finals Sabalenka — both matches went deep in the third set. A tennis dream finally came true for one of the nicest people you will ever meet. That little kid from a little city reached tennis immortality — not the easy way but the EARNED way. Madison is a role model for the game of tennis because she never quit. She never blamed the situation for setbacks. Madison always faced challenges with class and perspective then kept going back to the job of getting better.
Let’s smile and be happy for Madison Keys. The American “peaceful warrior” shows all of us that we have challenges, but each step gets us closer to our dreams.
Congratulations, Madison! A champion who never gave up on her dreams!
