Madison Keys' Fiancé Proposed In The Most Low-Key Way
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Madison Keys is certainly making a name for herself in the tennis world. The 29-year-old tennis player made a strong showing at the US Open and is now preparing for the Madrid Open, where she will play her first match on Thursday.
While she’ll have many people cheering her on, her fiancé and coach Bjorn Fratangelo, 30, who is also a tennis player, will definitely provide the behind-the-scenes support.
Who’s Bjorn? Here’s everything you need to know:
He’s from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bjorn was born and raised in Pittsburgh, where he lived until he was in high school, per his tennis profile on ATP Tour. He started playing tennis at age four, per The Economic Times.
His family then relocated to Naples, Florida, where he could play in a more competitive pool, per People. Bjorn still tries to make it back to his hometown whenever he can, though, he told Tennis.com in an interview.
“When I’m home at the club, I try to talk to the kids playing and hit around with them when I’m done with practices,” he said, per the website. “I hope I can make an impact for tennis in Pittsburgh. That would be great.”
He also had a food rec for anyone visiting his hometown: Primanti Bros. “It’s a restaurant famous for putting fries on its sandwiches. It’s really good and really unhealthy,” he shared.
Bjorn's named after another famous tennis star.
Bjorn was actually named after another famous tennis player: Bjorn Borg, per the Newport Daily News.
“He was my dad’s idol growing up, and they actually met him before I was born and I guess they were picking some names and that was the one they went with,” he shared with the outlet.
They play professional mixed doubles together.
Bjorn is a pro tennis player, too. He won the French Open boys’ in 2011 when he was just 17. This skyrocketed his ranking to number two, and he joined the pros the next year, per People.
Bjorn had a leg injury in 2018 but eventually made his way back to the winner’s circle when he took home his third ATP Challenger Tour Title.
“This is probably the most emotional victory I've had in my career,” he told ATP Tour at the time, per People. “I don't get excited about a lot of things, but this one is pretty bittersweet with how my year has gone and how I've been able to turn it around. If a few months ago someone told me I'd be holding a $100k Challenger title, I would have laughed. But here I am and I'm pretty proud of myself.”
Bjorn and Madison also play together, notably in 2021 when they played mixed doubles at the U.S. Open.
"He finally wore me down," Madison told ATP Tour at the time, per Town & Country Magazine. "I was always just saying I was going to be so nervous and I was going to have to try so hard, but he finally said, ‘We’ll just have some fun.’ I’m very happy that we did it."
They began dating in 2017, and got engaged in 2023.
Madison moved to Boca Raton in 2005. She met Bjorn when he moved there the following year. According to the ATP Tour, "The pair trained at the same facility, and they were part of a group of friends that was close." When they both moved to Orlando, they lived in the same apartment complex for a bit. In 2017, they began dating.
After many years and sweet IG posts later they got engaged in 2023:
"He actually did it at home. The day that I got back from Dubai so I was not expecting it at all," Keys told Tennis Update. "I was sitting on the couch and he was like, ‘Hey I have your birthday present.’ He handed me something and then got down on one knee. Just sitting on the couch so now we have to keep the couch forever."
Bjorn started coaching Madison in 2023.
These two truly have the best of both worlds. Not only are they getting married and play doubles together, but Bjorn is also Madison’s coach, per ESPN. In 2023, Madison asked Bjorn to be her coach, per ATP Tour.
"She had some tough losses, and she came home and asked for my help. And the first thing I said was like, ‘Are you sure?’” Bjorn told ATPTour.com. “Because we've done a great job of kind of staying out of each other's careers over the seven years we've been together. And she said yes.”
He says the adjustment has been great for both of them. “We're best friends. She's my fiancée. There's nothing we keep from each other and it's been very collaborative and it's been a lot of fun I think for both of us.”
During the US Open in September, Madison agreed, saying, "Everything’s been really good.”
She added, “Jesse Pegula’s coach, David Witt, keeps calling him coach of the year and that he’s coming for his titles."
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