Madison Keys has no doubt been bombarded by messages of congratulations and encouragement by family, friends, and fans alike during this Australian Open as the American has advanced to her first Grand Slam singles final in eight years.
But there’s one person that Keys hopes she won’t be hearing from before she steps into Rod Laver Arena to face Aryna Sabalenka for the women’s singles title on Saturday night in Melbourne: her good friend and fellow American Frances Tiafoe.
Don’t worry: They’re still tight. She’s just superstitious.
“We have this kind of joke where in the past he wouldn’t say anything pre-tournament or anything, and then he would text me, like, in the quarters or the semis or something, and I would lose the next round,” Keys said before toppling Iga Swiatek in a dramatic semifinal match where she saved match point.
“So we have this new rule. Like I saw him a few days ago, and I said, ‘Don’t text me, I don’t want to hear from you at all, just leave me alone and we’ll talk after the tournament.'”
