Madison Keys handed an astounding upset to Coco Gauff in their round of 16 clash. The cards were in favor of the US Open champion, but she fell short of defeating her senior compatriot. With the celebration of the win behind her, Keys is ready to face Ons Jabeur, who will be a much different opponent than Gauff. However, she knows how her coach will get her ready for the game.

Bjorn Fratangelo became Keys’ full-time coach after she split with Georgi Rumenov last year. Now as she gets ready to face Jabeur, Keys has an idea of how he’ll train her for the Tunisian player. The American told Tennis Channel that she needs to be ready for all the drop shots Jabeur will force her to experience. “I’m ready to run forward for all of the drop shots that I will inevitably be running for tomorrow. She’s, I mean, she’s so good, and she’s so tricky. I feel like clay really suits her game because she can get away with so many more of the slices, the drop shots, and things like that.”

She knows what she is bound to face, and so does her fiancé/ coach. “So definitely going to be really ready for that. I’ll probably have Bjorn only slice to me tomorrow to get ready for it, uh, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Madison Keys returned to the WTA Tour in the Indian Wells Masters after a shoulder injury put her out of commission in the 2023 US Open. Many would imagine her shots would not be fast or powerful, but the reality is the complete opposite. Her powerful shots can become a good weapon against Jabeur.

Madison Keys misses the ‘nice crisp’ sound of gut

Coming back from a shoulder injury requires a player to make many changes. Usually, most lose speed and power in their games, but that was not the case for Keys. When asked if she was looking for more perspective with the ball, she said, “Yes, I am because I think especially because of my shoulder injury, we switched rackets. So I went from an 18×20 to a 16×19, and I took the gut out of my racket.”

Missing the feel of the gut, Keys is swinging the racquet as hard as she can. “Now I’m with, just all poly, and I’m really missing like that nice crisp sound of gut. So I’m swinging so hard at the ball, and it’s dropping in, and Bjorn’s like, ‘That’s unbelievable’.”

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The American WTA star has hit strokes going above 100mph in Madrid. The 16×19 is famed for providing more spin on shots instead of power, but Keys broke the stereotype. The powerful shots will come in handy when she steps up against Jabeur and deals with her spin.