Published Aug 21, 2019. 22 US Open Doubles Finalist; Taylor Fritz was one of the first five players to benefit from the program. [185], In August, Stephens played at the Silicon Valley Classic. [6][25], In 2010, Stephens partnered with Tmea Babos to win the doubles title at all three majors in which they participated. [160] Seeded fifth at the Monterrey Open, she got her first victory of the year by beating compatriot, Emma Navarro, in the first round. [48] Later that month, she was awarded a wildcard into her first US Open main draw. She spent four years with Saviano before moving on and later reconciled with him in 2015.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'thetennistime_com-box-4','ezslot_5',153,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thetennistime_com-box-4-0'); Saviano was a former professional tennis player and popular coach known for his long-term relationship with the former worlds number 5, Eugenie Bouchard. Stephens also is a proficient server: she can hit first serves as fast as 110115 miles per hour and is capable of employing both first and second serves with a flat, sliced, or kick serve approach. A look at Sloane Stephens' Fresno ties", "WTA star Sloane Stephens expands youth programs in Fresno", "Tennis Pro Sloane Stephens Has Valley Roots", "Is Sloane Stephens the Future of American Tennis? 198. [127] Nonetheless, the United States won the tie 32 to give Stephens her first Fed Cup crown. [251][252][253] She sometimes flattens out her shots, even on the run, and goes for stinging winners. Sloane Stephens is building her resume of accomplishments both on and off the court!. 15, Jelena Jankovic. Murray had spent most of this season coaching Monica Puig, who was informed "at the end of last week" that Murray was moving on, she wrote in a statement toSporting News. 5 in the world. 7 Kiki Bertens. [34] She would lose in qualifying the next two years as well. Stephens also reached a career-high ranking of No. She lost in the first round of the Citi Open and the Rogers Cup before a second-round loss last week in Cincinnati, a disappointing stretch of matches entering what has been her most successful major tournament. 21, Jessica Pegula.[202]. [70] Stephens continued her Grand Slam tournament success at Wimbledon by making it to the quarterfinals, again without defeating a seeded opponent. Emma Hruby . She has cited her grandfather as her hero and one of her biggest influences growing up. 3 after Wimbledon in 2018. She notably defeated world No. Othmane Garma, right, and Coach Kamau Murray, have helped Sloane Stephens regain her form after a number of injuries. [89] In 2017, Stephens defeated Keys in the final of the US Open to win her first major title. She dismissed concerns about her form from the media, saying, "Everything's good. 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 Simona Halep in the fourth round. [267] At the start of 2015, she returned to her longtime junior coach, Nick Saviano. [138] Nonetheless, this run catapulted her to a career-high ranking of No. Their two biggest matches came in 2018, both of which were three set finals. Even though they only met a few times in person, the two of them developed a close relationship remotely. Entering the Miami Open Sloane Stephens had lost eight of nine matches and hadn't won consecutive matches since the US Open in September. In Toronto, she was defeated in the second round by third seed and world No. 3, Serena Williams. Coach. The 2017 titlist took to Twitter on Monday to announce that she will no longer be. Sloane Stephens is "on a break" from her coach, Kamau Murray, Murray has told the New York Times. [130][45], Stephens extended her losing streak to eight matches at the Australian Open. Photo: Chris Smith/ Volvo Car Open. She finished runner-up at the Canadian Open to Halep, her second high-level Premier final of the year. [201] In Miami, she lost in the second round to 16th seed and world No. Her former junior coach Chris Evert has questioned her motivation on multiple occasions and attributed stretches of inconsistency at various times in her career to her mentality. [89][90], Despite these good results, Stephens got off to a slow start in the clay-court season. Stephens' coach, Chicago native Kamau Murray, will coach . She started training at the Evert Tennis Academy, owned by John Evert and run by his sister, Chris Evert. She fell out of the top 20 upon losing her 2018 WTA Finals rankings points near the end of the season. He recruited me as a junior for Adidas. That is a definite contest. [91] Having struggled at the last three Grand Slam events, Stephens managed to upset world No. Sloane Stephens, Jozy Altidore married on New Year's Day. She then backed up that win by beating 23rd seed Shahar Pe'er. She showed an improvement in form at the US Open. [270][139] Stephens split with Murray during the 2018 offseason before reuniting with him in August 2019 shortly before the US Open. This time, Williams avenged her Australian Open loss in straight sets and went on to win the tournament. [21][22] Following these big titles, she only played in the remaining junior Grand Slam events in 2009 and 2010, while also skipping the Australian Open. 3 in the world. Stephens also withdrew from her last match with a wrist injury. After Stephens's victory against her at the tournament, Serena commented, "I made you," in a tweet believed to be directed at Stephens and did not speak to her younger compatriot until at least May. The American player, who competed in both the U.S. Open and the. The 29-year-old Stephens announced she's hired Francisco Roig as her new coach. In the first tie, Slovakia beat the USA 21. [84], Stephens returned from injury to start the season at the Auckland Open and the Hobart International, but lost in the second round at both tournaments. She lost in the third round to No. After losing to an up-and-coming Caroline Garcia and picking up a win against Virginie Razzano, Stephens and her partner Madison Keys lost to the two of them in the final doubles match to relegate the United States into World Group II the following year. Sloane Stephens(2015-19, 2019-21) Monica Puig(2019) Coaching achievements Coachee singles titles total 5 List of notable tournaments (with champion) US Open(Stephens) Last updated on: 7 April 2021. [237] Her relationship with Serena became strained after their match at the 2013 Australian Open. [159], As the top seed in Acapulco, Stephens was beaten in the first round by world No. In her first appearance in 2008, she defeated world No. [241] Her only victory against Serena came at the 2013 Australian Open when she was still relatively unknown as a 19-year-old. 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. [171] At the Australian Open, she was defeated in the first round by 26th seed and world No. She defeated Lucie Hradeck in her first career main-draw match before losing to the defending champion, 12th-seeded Vera Zvonareva. [208] She was defeated in the quarterfinals by 18th seed, world No. [222], Stephens has played five seasons with World TeamTennis starting in 2009 when she debuted in the league with the New York Buzz, followed by a season each with the Washington Kastles in 2014, the Philadelphia Freedoms in 2017 and 2018, and the New York Empire in 2019. [30][31] Her best singles result that year was a Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open, where she lost to Daria Gavrilova in a third set tiebreak. Sloane Stephens started off the new year by starting a new chapter of her life, as she and American soccer star Jozy Altidore were wed on New Year's Day. . [42][17] Her only other WTA Tour win that year came at the Swedish Open in July. Stephens moved to Florida to train at a tennis academy, ultimately working with Nick Saviano. Serena Williams, who reached the finalsof her previoustwo tournaments, is the No. She is one of the few black Americans after the Williams sisters that have been ranked among the World's Top 10 female tennis players. ", "Keys leads next generation of American women at U.S. Open", "Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys Highlight New Wave of American Female Tennis Players", "W2W4 at US Open: Advantage Madison Keys or Sloane Stephens? 6 in the world, her best year-end ranking to date. Murray also . They have organized programs in Compton, Fresno, and Fort Lauderdale. [206] At the French Open, she upset 26th seed, Sorana Crstea, in the second round. [281][282][283], Stephens has previously signed a deal with the American Express credit card company and was formerly an endorser of the Listerine mouthwash product. [297] She finished her degree while recovering from foot surgery earlier in the year. On our site youll find a variety of options to continue watching and talking about famous sportsmens,tennis tournaments and tennis gear. Seeded fourth, she overcame a bee sting to beat Magdalena Frch in the first round. [193] She beat Nuria Prrizas Daz during the tie against Spain. On Thursday she elaborated on her coaching situation and told Tennis Now that she. On the contrary, Stephens has also shown the ability to use her mindset of not worrying about disappointing outcomes to bounce back from injury and poor tournaments. While the 2017 US Open champion, 29, has had quite the packed . 1 Iga Swiatek trounces former champ Sloane Stephens", "Quite a scene in Parma; Sloane Stephens overcomes bee sting, difficult opponent", "Parma Ladies Open: Maria Sakkari claims last-8 spot; Sloane Stephens exits", "Sloane Stephens falls to Masarova in opening Auckland contest; Sofia Kenin sets Gauff clash", "Sloane Stephens in early Hobart WTA exit", "Australian Open 2023 results: Maria Sakkari avoids a shock against Diana Shnaider", "Mrida Open: Stephens gets first win of 2023", "World TeamTennis Adds Stars Tiafoe, Puig, Roanic, Bouchard, & Sock As Rosters Set For 2020", "U.S. Open Loss Behind Her, Madison Keys Accentuates the Positive", "Madison Keys will crack top 10 in world rankings after reaching Birmingham final", "Why is it the American women are thriving at the US Open? Stephens ended the year with a 411 record and ranked 39. 20, Julia Grges, en route to her first WTA quarterfinal. 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! [33] In the spring of 2008, she received a qualifying wildcard into her first WTA Tour event, the Miami Open, where she lost her opening round match. [106] Her last tournament of the year was the 2016 Rio Olympics, which ended with a first round loss to Eugenie Bouchard. 11 towards the end of 2013, she regressed and stayed outside the top 25 to the end of 2015. [264] Nonetheless, under Nainkin, Stephens had her breakthrough tournament at the 2013 Australian Open and reached a career-best ranking of No. She lost to the eventual champion Marion Bartoli. Who is Sloane Stephens coach? Stephens reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, securing her first match wins at the tournament since 2014. [280] Her other health-related endorsements include doTerra, Precision Nutrition, and Colgate. The current coach and hitting partner of Sloane Stephens is Darian King. This loss snapped her streak of reaching the second week of every major since a third-round loss at the 2012 US Open. He has won a total of 38 ITF titles, including 16 Singles and 22 Doubles. "[230] Keys has said, "I always want to see Sloane do well. [250] However, most of her best results have come on hard courts, including her US Open and Miami Open titles, as well as six of her seven titles in total. I'd love for both of us to be able to be in the position to play each other multiple times. Kamau Murray coaching Sloane Stephens at last year's Open. Their relationship ended in 2012; David Nainkin. [183], Ranked 73 at Wimbledon, Stephens upset tenth seed and two-time champion, Petra Kvitov, in the first round. It'll be okay, don't worry. 1, Serena Williams, who was returning from her long boycott of the tournament. She lost in the first round to 17th seed and world No. 957. [271][272] She split with Murray in 2021 before the Miami Open and is working with ATP tennis player Darian King who is also her practice partner. [290] She was also a fan of the Williams sisters and kept a poster of Serena in her bedroom as a kid. She has since won five of her six titles, including three in 2016, her first major at the 2017 US Open, and her first Premier Mandatory title in 2018. When she returned to the court, this injury continued to hinder her performance as she did not defeat another top 50 opponent until after the clay-court season. 83 in the world, and still needed to use a protected ranking to be accepted into the main draw due to the entry deadline being over a month before the event. Sloane Stephens graduated from Indiana University East Class of 2017( Source : instagram) Further, Roger Smith started to coach her in early 2009, and she became a top-ranked junior with three Grand Slam tournament doubles titles. 2, Simona Halep, at the Washington Open. [188] Ranked 66 at the US Open, she won a tight three-set first-round match over 2017 finalist Madison Keys. Chicago will return to World TeamTennis this summer, with 2017 U.S. Open women's champion Sloane Stephens leading the expansion Smash. She returned from injury in the middle of 2017 and won the US Open singles title in her fifth tournament back. She was eliminated in the second round by compatriot, seventh seed, and eventual champion, Danielle Collins. [58] She also reached the third round at the Premier 5 Cincinnati Open, where she lost a tight match to world No. [45], In the off-season, Stephens hired Kamau Murray to be her new coach. [218] Seeded fourth at the Hobart International, she was defeated in the first round by qualifier, compatriot, and eventual champion, Lauren Davis. 200711: Tour debut, entering the top 100, 2013: Major semifinal, Serena upset, world No. Although she remained in the top 10 for the majority of the year in large part due to ranking points she was defending from the previous year's WTA Finals, she could not match her best performances at the Grand Slam tournaments or other higher-level events. She defeated No. In her first tournament back, she made it to the quarterfinals at the Brisbane International to set up an encounter with world No. [197], Stephens started her 2022 season at the Australian Open. Just a week before the US Open, former champion Sloane Stephens has parted ways with coach Sven Groeneveld. [66], Following the Australian Open, Stephens was forced to miss the United States' quarterfinal Fed Cup tie after aggravating her abdominal injury during her deep run at the tournament. After departing from Saviano for the first time in 2009, Sloane began working with an ex-Bahamas tennis player who turned coach, Roger Smith. Congratulations to all of these ladies! [291][13][292], Stephens has been married to United States national soccer team player Jozy Altidore, who was also one of her childhood friends in Florida, since 1 January 2022. Sloane Stephens (born March 20, 1993) is an American professional tennis player. 96, Johanna Larsson, while committing 63 unforced errors. 2-ranked Simona Halep handles American Sloane Stephens at Citi Open", "Bouchard, Stephens fall in Citi Open finals, shift focus to Rogers Cup", "Wozniacki ends Stephens' Toronto run, roars into final", "Stephens pulls out three-set win over Cibulkova", "Stats Corner: American quartet soars into US Open quarterfinals", "U.S. Open: Madison Keys beats Kaia Kanepi to complete American sweep of women's semifinals", "No. "[131] In the coming months, she would prove to be correct, first by snapping her losing streak at her next tournament in Acapulco. [24] These results brought her to a career-high junior ranking of No. [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. Thomas is an ex-Swedish professional player and coach who has worked with many top players such as Tommy Haas, Magnus Norman, Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova, Li Na, Simona Halep, Madison Keys, and Johanna Konta. [3] In March 2010, Stephens qualified for the Indian Wells Open to make her WTA debut a week before turning 17. Another opportunity for the both of us. 4, Maria Sakkari. 23, compatriot, and eventual finalist, Coco Gauff. Now the Grand Slam champion is here to sh. She has never won a professional title on grass, and Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event where she has not made it to at least the semifinals. [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. Stephens had entered the month having never reached a semifinal at a high-level Premier tournament. [9][10], Stephens moved to her mother's hometown of Fresno in California at the age of two. 11 in the world. In contrast, she has a more compact swing with her two-handed backhand. 92 to reach the fourth round. Kamau Murray. They became just the second pair of girls to win three Grand Slam tournament doubles titles in one season after Corina Morariu and Ludmila Varmuov in 1995. She reached the fourth round at Indian Wells, where she lost a three-set match to world No. The two Americans finished the round-robin in third place in their group, with only one rubber win against Spain. In the round robin stage, Stephens swept her group of Naomi Osaka, Kiki Bertens, and Angelique Kerber to advance to the knockout stage. [178] In Madrid, she was defeated in the second round by Ons Jabeur. Your email address will not be published. Sloane Stephens hired Kamau Murray, left, last fall to lift her career. Uli Seit for The New York Times "Every player that I have coached will affirm that I am a very clear. 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. Tennis News. Her stepfather was a competitive recreational tennis player and was her primary inspiration for beginning to play the sport. 2, Victoria Azarenka, for the second consecutive year. Seeded sixth, she won her seventh WTA singles title by beating Marie Bouzkov in the final. [266], Stephens briefly worked with Thomas Hgstedt in late 2014. [18] During the US Open, she left New York after her first match to attend her biological father's funeral in Louisiana. 5 and winning three out of four major girls' doubles titles in 2010 with her partner Tmea Babos. She is now ranked 20th heading into Wimbledon, which begins . This stretch notably included two matches at the year-end Elite Trophy as well as two singles rubbers in the Fed Cup final against Belarus. View. [136][137] Despite going up a set and a break, Stephens lost the final to world No. Now, Stephens has Nadal's former coach in her corner. Stephens started her clay-court season at the Charleston Open. [94] Stephens closed the European season with a third-round appearance at Wimbledon. She began training at the Evert Tennis Academy founded by John Evert and also run by his sister, International Tennis Hall of Famer Chris Evert. [45], Stephens continued to climb the WTA rankings during the 2011 clay-court season. She became the first woman to be coached by Annacone. The following year at age 12, Stephens switched to the Nick Saviano High Performance Tennis Academy, and also began online homeschooling. [11] She started playing tennis at the age of nine at the Sierra Sport and Racquet Club, a tennis facility located across the street from her house where her stepfather regularly played and her mother was taking lessons. Happy to have Francis Roig . [241] In 2015, Stephens won the first set of their encounters at the Indian Wells Open and the French Open, but ultimately lost in three sets in both instances. [102] During the semifinals of this tournament, she defeated No. Saviano can be said to be one of those who greatly contributed to the development of Sloane. [118] Her semifinal was against No. [67][76] She finished the year at world No. 9, Carla Surez Navarro, in the second round for her first top-ten victory in almost two years. [276] At the 2021 French Open, she wore a striking all-black outfit, despite the heat. Stephens played singles for the Smash throughout the season, helping them to earn a No. 17 Anastasija Sevastova to set up the first all-American semifinals at a major since Wimbledon in 1985, and the first at the US Open since 1981. Francisco was an ex-Paraguay tennis player who retired in 1990 after claiming 10 Doubles and no Singles. This score is average compared to other women's tennis players, and rates similarly to fellow Grand Slam tournament winners Justine Henin and Victoria Azarenka. [247] Since then, Halep has won all six of their encounters. Halep won the first set of the match after saving four set points, two while serving at 65 and two more in the tiebreak. 1 Iga witek. It was announced that she will joining the Chicago Smash for their debut season, during the 2020 WTT season set to begin July 12 at The Greenbrier.[223]. [46] She then made it through qualifying at the French Open to make her Grand Slam main-draw debut in singles. We aims to be available wherever and whenever you need it. When she won the 2017 US Open, she recalled an instance at age 11 when her mother believed Stephens had high upside in spite of being told by an instructor at a junior tennis academy that she would be lucky to get a tennis scholarship to a Division II college. Due to a rain suspension, she was forced to play the end of her semifinal match against No. [210] At Wimbledon, she lost in the first round to Zheng Qinwen. Tennis Interviews Sloane Stephens against Serena Williams? [244] Halep won their first encounter in 2012 at the Barcelona Ladies Open. [77] She was able to recover in time to open her season at the Australian Open. She then reached her first WTA semifinal at the Internationaux de Strasbourg. 3 Angelique Kerber. [33], Stephens often plays behind the baseline, relying on her athleticism to defend against her opponent's shots. [92] Serena then defeated her in the fourth round, which turned out to be Stephens's best Grand Slam tournament result of the year. [263] In June 2012, Stephens switched coaches to David Nainkin in order to try to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. 13 Ana Ivanovic in the third round and went on to reach her first quarterfinal at a Premier Mandatory event. [54] Finally, she produced her best result at a Grand Slam tournament to date by reaching the fourth round at the French Open. This tennis match is between Heather Watson and Sloane Stephens. [220], Seeded second at the first edition of the Mrida Open in Mexico, Stephens got her first win of the year by beating qualifier Lolia Jeanjean in the first round. [125][126], After the US Open, Stephens did not win another match the rest of the season. 3, 2021: French Open fourth round, out of top 50, 2022: First title since 2018, French Open quarterfinal, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 15:01, https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1605598193718161408, "For a Rising Tennis Star, a Connection, Then Dealing With Loss", "She beat Venus to reach the U.S. Open final. The American coach has worked with Sloane on two different occasions, although the second relationship was not so fruitful. [59] Her final tournament of the year was the US Open. 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. [238][239] Nonetheless, Stephens has said the two of them still had a good relationship. Dec 21 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens has appointed Francis Roig as her new coach to revive her fortunes, after the veteran Spaniard left Rafa Nadal's team last week,. "[61] Stephens improved on that result the following week with a semifinal at the Hobart International. 6 Caroline Wozniacki in Canada, and No. [140] Nonetheless, she moved up to No. In the semifinals, Stephens won a rematch of the 2017 US Open final against Madison Keys, the first all-American semifinal there since 2002. I am so honored to be featured among this amazing group on this year's Create & Cultivate 100 List in the Sports category! [257] Stephens excels in point construction, and varies patterns of hitting in order to confuse opponents. [52] In late April, Stephens made her Fed Cup debut in an away playoff tie against Ukraine. [134][225] They have also both been labelled as leaders of the next generation of American women's tennis. Her mother was the first African-American woman in Division I history to be selected to the first team of All-American swimmers. [85][86] She entered the Australian Open unseeded and faced a difficult draw against Victoria Azarenka in the first round. Varvara Gracheva ousted Sloane Stephens in their quarter-final match at the ATX Open on Friday. Sloane Stephens has ended her coaching relationship with Paul Annacone after eight months, according to a release from the American's management company Wednesday. [17], Stephens began competing in low-level events on the ITF Junior Circuit in 2006 at the age of 13. [133] With this performance, she also cracked the top 10 for the first time. Masha Maltsava/Lemon Perfect Sloane Stephens. Sloane Stephens was born on March 20, 1993, in Plantation, Florida to sporting parents. [45], She had foot surgery in January and could not walk again without a boot until the middle of April. [23] Mladenovic ended up winning the tournament, and would also defeat Stephens in their next encounter at the Wimbledon quarterfinals. [143][144] She then closed out the season by participating in her first WTA Finals in Singapore. [45], Stephens started her 2020 season at the Brisbane International. [78] Her next successful tournament came in March at the Indian Wells Open. [57], Back in the United States, Stephens played at the Citi Open in late July and made it to her second career WTA semifinal. 2, Maria Sharapova. [15], After her stepfather's death, Stephens and her family moved back to their hometown of Fresno where her grandparents and other members of her mother's family still lived. [32], Stephens played her first professional events on the ITF Women's Circuit in late 2007. Her game is commonly referred to as possessing "easy power" due to the seemingly casual nature in which she injects pace into her shots.