[106] Her last tournament of the year was the 2016 Rio Olympics, which ended with a first round loss to Eugenie Bouchard. Although Williams won the match in straight sets, she praised Stephens, saying she could be "the best in the world one day. [55] Stephens built on this momentum with a third-round appearance in her Wimbledon main-draw debut, which was highlighted by an upset of 23rd seed Petra Cetkovsk. He has also been able to motivate Sloane to a title, won at the 2022 Guadalajara in Mexico. He is best known for coaching Sloane Stephensto the US Opentitle in 2017. [187] At the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, she lost in the first round to qualifier Caroline Garcia. [92] Serena then defeated her in the fourth round, which turned out to be Stephens's best Grand Slam tournament result of the year. She achieved a career-best ranking of world No. [73] She lost in the next round to No. 18, Emma Raducanu, in three sets. [26][27][28][29] Stephens also reached at least the quarterfinals in each of the singles events. She demonstrated this type of mindset after her early 2014 US Open loss, saying, "I'm not gonna dwell on this. Sloane Stephens is a top-rated American female tennis player with a lot to offer and a potential successor to the retired Serena Williams. Next, she was supposed to play against Egypt's Mayar Sherif in the Monterrey first round; however, she withdrew from the tournament. [37][38][39] During the summer of 2008, Stephens won her first professional title in doubles at a low-level $10K event in Wichita alongside partner Christina McHale. [18], At the French Open, Stephens extended her main-draw win streak to 16 matches in a row to start the season, despite needing to qualify for the main draw, before losing to French junior Kristina Mladenovic in the semifinals. [53], After early losses at her first few clay-court events of the year, Stephens finished this part of the season with three impressive results. Sloane started working with David in 2012 to help her qualify for the 2012 Olympics; however, she eventually missed out on this. She then reached her first WTA semifinal at the Internationaux de Strasbourg. [103] Part of her prize in Charleston included a car from the title sponsor Volvo, which Stephens was unaware of until after the tournament. [183], Ranked 73 at Wimbledon, Stephens upset tenth seed and two-time champion, Petra Kvitov, in the first round. Sloane Stephens News Feed 'I'm Not About to a Video on Twitter' - American Senior Pros Refuse to Be Controversial as They Get Candid About Life on WTA Tour. [45] Two of her biggest improvements came at two Grand Slam events. Also, I like listening to Depeche Mode and walking my dog. 1 Iga witek. Stephens was the 2017 US Open champion, and has won seven WTA Tour singles titles in total. [173], Stephens losing streak continued at the Monterrey Open. 28, finishing the season at No. Veteran Spaniard Francis Roig is set to be the new coach of former US Open champion Sloane Stephens. Without a permanent coach this year the world No.7 posted a 6-6 match record on Tour until appointing Sven Groeneveld ahead of her clay-court campaign. [62] She entered the Australian Open seeded 29th, her first Grand Slam tournament as a seeded player. [5] Stephens's father was a Pro Bowl running back for the New England Patriots in the National Football League. 270, Renata Zaraza. [233][234][235][236] She grew up as a fan of the Williams sisters, but had lost some of her interest in them after they did not sign autographs at a Fed Cup tie that Stephens attended at age 12. [95], Stephens did not play again until the Washington Open in August. 10 Inspirational Juan Martin del Potro Quotes, Sloane Stephenss achievements with different coaches. [32], Stephens played her first professional events on the ITF Women's Circuit in late 2007. Although she lost to Elena Baltacha, she rose to a career best No. [141] At the US Open, Stephens was unable to defend her title, losing to Anastasija Sevastova in the quarterfinals in a rematch of last year's meeting at this tournament in the same round. She excels at countering powerfully-hit shots, and is capable of turning defense into offense. [102] During the semifinals of this tournament, she defeated No. [7], Smith left Stephens's father after his multiple arrests in 1994. 10 Dominika Cibulkov. [285] Moreover, Stephens has worked with Time Warner Cable as part of their Connect a Million Minds campaign to motivate the importance of education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. 11 in the world, had been coached by Sven Groeneveld since Maybut announced the end of that partnershipMonday. "[260][261][262], When Stephens was just starting to play tennis at the Sierra Sport and Racquet Club, one of her first instructors was Francisco Gonzlez, a retired professional tennis player once ranked in the top 50. She also started the Sloane Stephens Foundation, which helps build tennis courts and set up after-school tennis programs for underserved students in conjunction with supplemental tutoring. Stephens, ranked No. [293][294] She had previously dated fellow American tennis player Jack Sock for over a year. 45 while rising no higher than No. "[224] Both players have been ranked in the top 10 by the WTA. She returned to play and win her next match, but ultimately lost in the third round. In addition, she switched coaches David Nainkin in June 2012 to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. [139], Stephens did not carry any momentum into the grass-court season, losing at Wimbledon in the first round in her only event. In her first appearance in 2008, she defeated world No. She also worked briefly with Paul Annacone and became the first female player to be coached by the famous American coach. 25, Jamie Hampton. [158] This was her first loss to a player outside the top 200 since 2011. Stephens did not talk with her biological father until she was 13 years old, when he expressed interest in getting to know her after being diagnosed with degenerative bone disease. 11 in October and became the second-highest ranked American. [276] At the 2021 French Open, she wore a striking all-black outfit, despite the heat. Chris Evert was a top ex-tennis player with an incredible record of 89.97% (1309-146) in the Singles (second highest in the history of male and female tennis). 1 and eventual champion, Iga witek. 9 Seed Karolina Pliskova in Straight Sets in 2R of French Open 2021", "Krejcikova routs Stephens to reach first Slam quarterfinal at French Open", "American Sloane Stephens upsets two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Centre Court", "American Sloane Stephens bounced in third round at Wimbledon by wild card Liudmila Samsonova", "Collins Conquers Stephens to Stretch Winning Streak to Seven", "INCREDIBLE! [104], In contrast to previous years where Stephens struggled at smaller tournaments while still doing well at bigger tournaments, she struggled at the Grand Slam tournaments and high-level Premier events in 2016. [88] Stephens then improved on that result with a quarterfinal appearance at the Miami Open, which included a win over rival Madison Keys in their first encounter. [17], Stephens began competing in low-level events on the ITF Junior Circuit in 2006 at the age of 13. He has won a total of 38 ITF titles, including 16 Singles and 22 Doubles. On Thursday she elaborated on her coaching situation and told Tennis Now that she. 201, Arina Rodionova. From there, she continued her training in Boca Raton, where she trained at Evert Tennis Academy before she made her way to Nick Saviano High-Performance Tennis Academy at 12. She did not get to qualify for the tournament since only four players were accepted from each country, and she ranked at number 5. 4, Maria Sakkari. 3 Angelique Kerber. Kamau Murray(born 1980) is an American tenniscoach. No explanation was offered for the suspension of the successful coaching partnership. [180] At the first edition of the Emilia-Romagna Open, she reached the semifinals where she was beaten by sixth seed Wang Qiang. Similar to the case of Annacone, she also spent some time with Thomas after departing from Annacone. Tennis News. [116] In the fourth round, she defeated No. [18] Her first breakthrough result came at the US Open in 2008, where she reached her first doubles final at a Grand Slam with Mallory Burdette. Keys has said, "Sloane and I, since we were 12 and 14, have constantly been compared to each other. But she was able to reach the semifinals of both Premier 5 tournaments that month, the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. [200] At the Indian Wells Open, she fell in the first round to 2018 champion Naomi Osaka. [245] Stephens then won their next two meetings in early 2013, including a first round match at the Australian Open as part of her breakthrough semifinal run at the event. 24, and 2019 champion, Madison Keys, in the second round. 5 in the world. ", "A rematch we've been waiting on: Madison Keys vs. Sloane Stephens", "American pals Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys both reach first French Open QF", "Madison Keys vs Sloane Stephens Head-to-Head", "Win or lose, Sloane Stephens is back and better than ever", "U.S. Open: Venus Williams vs. Sloane Stephens is a look into past and future", "The US Open showed black women have made American tennis great again", "Once friends, Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens redefine relationship", "Sloane Stephens says she was caught off guard by Serena Williams controversy", "Serena Williams vs. Sloane Stephens Head to Head", "2018 US Open Media Day: Stephens downplays Halep 'rivalry', Wozniacki '100%', "Evert - 'I like the contrast in personalities and styles' in Halep, Stephens rivalry", "French Open final recap: Simona Halep BEATS Sloane Stephens to win Roland Garros title", "Australian Open: Serena Williams hurts ankle in easy win, while Roger Federer and Andy Murray win in straight sets", "Simona Halep beats Sloane Stephens for first Grand Slam title", "Top 5 WTA 2018 Matches (No.1): Halep bests Stephens in marathon Montreal final", "Sloane Stephens: "I am happy that I was the last person to win at Key Biscayne", "Comment: Simona Halep's Tenacity Too Much For Stephens' 'Easy Power', "Stephens' win vs. Kasatkina was another casually masterful performance", "How Sloane Stephens' Subtle Athleticism Brought Her Another Big Title", "Rule the Court Like Tennis Star Sloane Stephens", "Sloane Stephens Biography And Detailed Game Analysis", "Sloane Stephens shows you don't have to be aggressive to win a major", "Measuring WTA Tactics With Aggression Score", "Nonchalant reaction to Wimbledon loss a blessing and curse for Sloane Stephens", "Chris Evert Says Sloane Stephens Lacks Hunger", "Chris Evert On Sloane Stephens: 'I Question Whether She Has A Burning Desire', "Sloane Stephens makes late father, stepfather, U.S. tennis proud in U.S. Open girls juniors", "Stephens trying to take control of path ahead", "Sloane Stephens hires Paul Annacone as her coach", "Report: Sloane Stephens working with coach Thomas Hogstedt", "Nick Saviano To Coach Sloane Stephens; Will Start In Hobart", "Sloane Stephens and Nick Saviano Have Parted Ways", "Sloane Stephens, Kamau Murray suspend coaching partnership", "Stephens reunites with coach Murray ahead of US Open", "Sloane Stephens: Finding her Game, Finding her Zen in Charleston - Tennis Now", "AMIDST UNTOLD LOSS, STEPHENS REDISCOVERING INNER FIRE", "Tennis star Sloane Stephens swaps Under Armour for Nike", "Tennis champion Sloane Stephens, long with Under Armour, signs with Nike", "Which tennis racquets do the WTA pros use?