US tennis star Sloane Stephens has suffered a spectacular WTA world rankings slide out of the top 900 singles players eight years on from her US Open Grand Slam win
Sloane Stephens was once on top of the world after winning the 2017 US Open and playing a French Open final in 2018, on her way to earning nearly $19 million in singles prize money.
However, eight years later, the US tennis star, at just 32, who missed Wimbledon this year through injury, suffered a spectacular tumble in the WTA world rankings, placing 902nd, following a career-high of third in 2018. Since the peak of her career, a 2017 US Open Grand Slam win, results on the Big Stage have been far and few between.
Stephens, an idol to Coco Gauff, reached the final at Roland-Garros the following year, the US Open quarterfinal in 2018, and the French Open quarterfinal in 2019.
After that, Stephens had to wait until 2022 to reach another Slam quarterfinal, with that finish coming again in the French capital.
Most of Stephens’ Grand Slam runs have ended in the first and second rounds, and the American only played at the Australian Open this year before missing Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.
A foot injury forced a two-month absence before the French Open, resulting in Stephens dropping outside the top 300 and thus losing direct entry to the tournament’s main draw or qualifying rounds.
SW19 also came too soon for Stephens, but she will return to New York in a broadcasting capacity as part of ESPN’s coverage of 2025’s final Slam. Stephens sees broadcasting as more than a side job.
“Yes, I did the interviews. Yes, I did the desk,” she said.
“But I also learned so much about myself. From the jump, I said if I’m doing this, I’m doing it all the way. I was gonna bring the looks, bring the energy, be a team player, speak on what I know, and most importantly, just be me.”
Stephens still has hopes of playing. She’s leaning into her fitness following her foot injury. “My current fitness goal is to get out of the boot and get back strong,” she said in an interview.
“My favourite move in the gym that makes me feel strong and empowered is doing pull-ups,” she added. “It makes me feel really cool.”
As part of the US Open buildup, Stephens also opened up about her support for athletes who undergo fertility treatment.
Stephens decided to freeze her eggs on two occasions to allow her to have children once her playing career was over.
“I’m always the one that they come to to be like, ‘What happened? What did you do? Who did you use?'” Stephens told CNN Sports. “I think the conversations have now become even more open, which is amazing.
“Everyone’s speaking about it, everyone’s sharing their journeys because it’s helping all of us understand what everyone’s gone through so we can make the best-informed decisions.”
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