At the Bad Homburg Open, her first grass-court tournament of the season, Stephens was beaten in the first round by British qualifier Katie Swan. Sloane Stephens's Coach Recommits to Craft After Health Scare. 13 Ana Ivanovic in the third round and went on to reach her first quarterfinal at a Premier Mandatory event. 28, finishing the season at No. [119] Madison Keys won the other semifinal against CoCo Vandeweghe. Sloane Stephens Hires Francisco Roig as Coach She was eliminated in the first round by ninth seed Garbie Muguruza. Kamau Murray Coaches Sloane Stephens And Kids On Chicago's - WBUR Tennis icon Bollettieri, coach for 10 No . Sloane Stephens It's fair to say the 2017 US Open champion has endured a turbulent start to the season. [8] She has a younger half-brother, Shawn Farrell, who played baseball and football at Notre Dame High School outside of Los Angeles. Mental Health Is on Sloane Stephens's Mind, Too - The New York Times [208] She was defeated in the quarterfinals by 18th seed, world No. [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. After the US Open, Stephens competed at the Italian Open. 1, Serena Williams, who was returning from her long boycott of the tournament. Sloane Stephens has added a new coach along with a new fiance this weekthe 25-year-old announced that Sven Groeneveld has joined her team. She became a promising junior player, reaching an ITF junior ranking of world No. Her best Grand Slam performance was a quarterfinal loss to Johanna Konta at the French Open, where she could not defend her runner-up finish from the previous season. 25, Jamie Hampton. . [58] She also reached the third round at the Premier 5 Cincinnati Open, where she lost a tight match to world No. Murray also . 5 of '17: Stephens Emerges As Star After Beating Venus At US Open", "Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys Reach U.S. Open Final", "Sloane Stephens completes magical U.S. Open with win over Madison Keys in final", "Sloane Stephens surges past Madison Keys to win US Open title", "Venus and Serena's worthy successors have arrived", "U.S. Open 2017 Women's Final Predictions: Sloane Stephens vs. Madison Keys", "Sloane Stephens wins US Open title after straight-sets victory over fellow American Madison Keys", "50 for 50: Sloane Stephens, 2017 women's singles champion", "Strycova caps year with win as Stephens retires in Zhuhai", "USA claims 2017 Fed Cup after Belarus battle", "United States Ends 17-Year Drought With Fed Cup Victory", "Comeback Player of the Year: Sloane Stephens", "Stephens asks reporters to relax after loss to Zhang", "Acapulco: Sloane Stephens snaps eight-match losing streak", "Miami Open: Sloane Stephens beats Jelena Ostapenko to win first title since US Open", "Sloane Stephens beats Jelena Ostapenko for Miami Open title", "Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens Send U.S Into Second Straight Fed Cup Final", "All-American French Open women's semifinal has South Florida ties", "Sloane Stephens Subtly Defused Madison Keys In French Open Semifinals", "Halep lifts first Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros", "French Open 2018: Sloane Stephens' final collapse could be a turning point in her career for the better", "Vekic stuns Stephens in first-round Wimbledon upset", "Halep survives Stephens in grueling battle to win Montreal", "Sevastova stops Stephens title defense in US Open QF stunner", "Stephens slides past Pavlyuchenkova in Beijing epic", "Stephens storms past home hope Zheng in Beijing", "Steely Stephens steers past Osaka in Singapore showdown", "Stephens snaps Bertens streak, Red Group wide open in Singapore", "Stephens stops Kerber to complete Singapore semifinal lineup", "Stephens completes stunning Pliskova comeback, seals Singapore final spot", "Elina Svitolina Beats Sloane Stephens to Win the WTA Finals", "Sloane Stephens wins her first Australian Open match since 2014", "Pavlyuchenkova beats Stephens to set up quarter-final with unseeded American Collins", "Johanna Konta blitzes Sloane Stephens to reach French Open semi-finals", "Johanna Konta roars back to knock Sloane Stephens out of Wimbledon", "Sloane Stephens upset by Anna Kalinskaya in first round of US Open", "Bertens stumps Stephens to make second straight Madrid final", "Fourth time's a charm for Madison Keys, who overcomes Sloane Stephens", "Stephens out in first-round boilover, Keys rolls on", "Aussie Rodionova authors Stephens upset in Adelaide", "History repeats as Zhang stuns Stephens again at Australian Open", "SLOANE'S STRUGGLE IS REAL: NO. [127] Nonetheless, the United States won the tie 32 to give Stephens her first Fed Cup crown. 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. According to the Aggression Score Metric, which measures a player's aggression based on how quickly they end points either through a winner, an unforced error, or an opponent's forced error, Stephens has a score of 19.4% which implies that 19.4% of her shots lead to one of those three outcomes. "Sloane is in the best physical condition she's been in years," said Nick Saviano, a veteran coach who has long been a mentor to Stephens and watched her victory over Gauff on television.. [96] At the US Open, she was seeded at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time that year but lost in the first round to compatriot CoCo Vandeweghe. [123][124] She also became the lowest-ranked US Open champion ever, and the fifth-lowest at any Grand Slam tournament. She lost to the eventual champion Marion Bartoli. Stephens also withdrew from her last match with a wrist injury. 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. Saviano can be said to be one of those who greatly contributed to the development of Sloane. [159], As the top seed in Acapulco, Stephens was beaten in the first round by world No. Kamau Murray (left) coaches Sloane Stephens but that's not his only job. [149] She finished the season ranked No. Sloane Stephens Beats Coco Gauff at the U.S. Open - The New York Times 3 in the world. [72] The highlight of her clay-court season in the lead up to the French Open was the Fed Cup semifinals on the road against France, where she won both of her singles rubbers over Pauline Parmentier and Kristina Mladenovic to lead the United States to a 32 victory. Stephens's biggest rivalry is with her close friend and compatriot Madison Keys. 2, Simona Halep, at the Washington Open. 5 Jeena Ostapenko in the final. [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. [198], In February, Stephens competed at the Abierto Zapopan in Guadalajara, Mexico. Even though they only met a few times in person, the two of them developed a close relationship remotely. This time, Williams avenged her Australian Open loss in straight sets and went on to win the tournament. Her mother was the first African-American woman to be named a first-team All-American swimmer in Division I history. Azarenka eliminated Stephens for the third consecutive year. 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. 28, Yulia Putintseva. 1 Barty at Volvo Car Open", "WTA Madrid 2021: Halep in the 3rd round, Osaka eliminated", "IN A ROME CLASH FULL OF SHIFTS, MADISON KEYS TOPPLES SLOANE STEPHENS", "Wang Qiang sails past Stephens to make finals of Emilia-Romagna open", "Sloane Stephens Upsets No. Here, Stephens upset No. 3, Aryna Sabalenka. Nainkin had also been working with fellow American Sam Querrey that year. She won her only match, a doubles dead rubber with partner Liezel Huber, as the United States won the tie 50 to return to the top-level World Group in 2013. "I've known him for a really long time. 5 and winning three out of four major girls' doubles titles in 2010 with her partner Tmea Babos. 10 Angelique Kerber in the fourth round and quarterfinals, and No. 2, Maria Sharapova. 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. [211], Stephens started her US Open series at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. She lost in the first round to Ajla Tomljanovi. [150][151] She also reached the third round at Wimbledon, despite having lost her previous two opening round matches there. Coach. Sloane Stephens' Coach on 'Creative' Ways They Kept Up Her Training Regimen amid Pandemic Still, she says, "The pandemic has taught me to focus more on what I can control and less on what I cannot. Francis Roig to coach Sloane Stephens after leaving Nadal She switched to a new coach, Kamau Murray, under whom she returned to elite level and won three WTA titles in the first half of 2016. ", "BNP Paribas Open March 13, 2010 Sloane Stephens", "Burdette and Stephens Fall in Doubles Final; Net Cord Decides Boys Doubles Champions", "Kudla and Van Nguyen Win Orange Bowl 16s Championships; Jenkins Meets Bhambri and Boserup Faces McHale for 18s Titles Sunday", "Stephens and Frank Collect International Spring Singles Championships", "More on NCAA Champions; Stephens Wins Italian Open", "A Teenager Bows Out and Looks to Wimbledon", "Junior Watch: Stephens Loses to Mladenovic", "Lauren Davis Upsets Third Seed Babos; Stephens Advances in Three Sets at US Open Junior Championships", "NCAA Individual Recap; Recruiting Class Rankings; ITA Kickoff Draft Complete; US Girls Fall in Paris; USTA's Sell Talks with Cronin", "June Aces; Kudla and Stephens Fall in Wimbledon Jr. Quarterfinals, while Britain's Golding and Robson Advance to Semis", "Sock and Kudla Vie For U.S. Open Boys Title; Gavrilova and Putintseva of Russia Will Decide Girls Champion Sunday", "Qualifying Underway at Sony Ericsson, US Juniors Not Faring Well; ISC Carson Acceptances", "Day One of US Open Qualifying; El Mihdawy Considers Tennis Future", "First Day of US Open Qualifying a Long One", "Gullickson Draws Wozniacki in US Open First Round; Qualifying's First Round Finally Complete", "Elsewhere in Tennis.Devvarman Wins Rochester, Embree Takes Wichita, Keys Triumphs in Bahamas", "Buzz Pick All-USTA-Juniors Squad in World TeamTennis Draft", "Stephens gets first WTA Tour win at Indian Wells", "Kudla, Stephens Win ATP, WTA Matches Tuesday; US Open Junior Fact Sheet; Rochester Futures Slideshow; Brad Stine Opens Junior Academy", "New Haven Open: Sloane Stephens on her way up", "Sloane Stephens: Disparity in results soon to be history? [93] In her only grass-court tune-up, Stephens made it to the semifinals at the Eastbourne International. [79], Stephens returned to the United States Fed Cup team in April for their home playoff tie against France. Sloane Stephens is a top-rated American female tennis player with a lot to offer and a potential successor to the retired Serena Williams. Sloane Stephens is "on a break" from her coach, Kamau Murray, Murray has told the New York Times. Kamau Murray - Wikipedia Sloane Stephens, through Personal Tumult, Leads by Example As Sloane Stephens plays in the French Open, the second Grand Slam event of the year, she has regrets about having competed at the first one. Just a week before the US Open, former champion Sloane Stephens has parted ways with coach Sven Groeneveld. [15], Roger Smith began coaching Stephens in early 2009 and worked with her for several years. [117] She then defeated No. She favors her forehand, and will run around her backhand at times to play her stronger groundstroke. [69] She then lost to world No. 17 after the tournament. Not many athletes get to live their dream. Nadal's former coach Roig to work with American Stephens 3, Serena Williams. 13 and was named WTA Comeback Player of the Year. [139], Stephens did not carry any momentum into the grass-court season, losing at Wimbledon in the first round in her only event. Darian has also represented Barbados at the Davis Cup and holds a record of 40-22 at the tournament. 1 Iga witek. Sloane Stephens [57], Back in the United States, Stephens played at the Citi Open in late July and made it to her second career WTA semifinal. [88][93], Stephens and Halep have built a rivalry centered around their highest profile matches in 2018. Emma Hruby Dec 22, 2022. 96, Johanna Larsson, while committing 63 unforced errors. 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. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Next, she was supposed to play against Egypt's Mayar Sherif in the Monterrey first round; however, she withdrew from the tournament. Veteran Spaniard Francis Roig is set to be the new coach of former US Open champion Sloane Stephens. After Stephens was able to push the match to three sets Halep was able to regroup and win the match. Your email address will not be published. [293][294] She had previously dated fellow American tennis player Jack Sock for over a year. 2, Victoria Azarenka, for the second consecutive year. 3 Garbie Muguruza, and No. 3 in the singles rankings after the tournament. [41] Although she seldom played on the pro tour that year, Stephens decided to turn pro in October following a strong junior season. "[224] Both players have been ranked in the top 10 by the WTA. 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. Varvara Gracheva ousted Sloane Stephens in their quarter-final match at the ATX Open on Friday. 18, Emma Raducanu, in three sets. [269] In the 2015 offseason, she replaced him with Kamau Murray. Sloane Stephens is a long-time Rafa Nadal fan. [286], Stephens credits her mother for supporting her career as a tennis player since she was very young. Published Aug 21, 2019. [3] In March 2010, Stephens qualified for the Indian Wells Open to make her WTA debut a week before turning 17. [226][227][228][229] In spite of their rivalry, the two have looked forward to their matchups, with Stephens saying, "Every time I get to play Maddy is great. [67][76] She finished the year at world No. [268] While working with Saviano, Stephens won her first WTA title, but did not manage to ascend back up the WTA rankings. Her father, John Stephens, was a former Pro Bowl player who played for a team in the National Football League, while her mother, Sybil Smith, was an accomplished swimmer who made history during college.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[468,60],'thetennistime_com-box-3','ezslot_9',160,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thetennistime_com-box-3-0'); Sloane started playing tennis at the age of 9 alongside her mother and stepfather at the Sierra Sport and Racquet Club, located just some distance from her home. [109] While unable to play on the tour, Stephens was granted the opportunity to be a broadcaster for the Tennis Channel. Nonetheless, she finished the year as the youngest player in the top 50 at No. [212] This was her first loss to Tomljanovi, having led their Head to Head 6-0. [71] Her best win at these two majors came in the first round of Wimbledon against world No. She started training at the Evert Tennis Academy, owned by John Evert and run by his sister, Chris Evert. [267] At the start of 2015, she returned to her longtime junior coach, Nick Saviano. Seeded second, she lost in the first round to qualifier and eventual finalist, Rebeka Masarova. [263] In June 2012, Stephens switched coaches to David Nainkin in order to try to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. Seeded sixth, she won her seventh WTA singles title by beating Marie Bouzkov in the final. He recruited me as a junior for Adidas. 151, Kristna Kuov. Stephens played singles for the Smash throughout the season, helping them to earn a No. Around this time last year, Kamau Murray was having the. [213] At the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, she lost in the second round to world No. 6 in the world, her best year-end ranking to date. But Keys prevailed at the 2021 Italian Open a month later. [172] Seeded ninth at the first edition of the Phillip Island Trophy, she suffered a first round loss at the hands of Varvara Gracheva. In the first such match, the French Open final, Halep came from a set down to defeat Stephens for her first Grand Slam title. Now she's won . He has also been able to motivate Sloane to a title, won at the 2022 Guadalajara in Mexico. We aims to be available wherever and whenever you need it. But she was able to reach the semifinals of both Premier 5 tournaments that month, the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. [107] After the Olympics, Stephens revealed she had been hindered by a left foot injury for most of the year, for which doctors recommended time off to recover. She then reached her first WTA semifinal at the Internationaux de Strasbourg. [176], Stephens began her clay-court season at the Charleston Open. [65] Although Stephens would lose her next match to world No. Sloane took Franciscos advice at 11 and proceeded to Boca Raton to train. [276] At the 2021 French Open, she wore a striking all-black outfit, despite the heat. [92] Serena then defeated her in the fourth round, which turned out to be Stephens's best Grand Slam tournament result of the year. [137] Keys defeated Stephens for the first time in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Charleston Open. Now, Stephens has Nadal's former coach in her corner. Kamau is arguably the most successful coach of Sloane so far since he led her to her highest career ranking and five out of the seven career titles she has won. Stephens started her season at the first edition of the Grampians Trophy. [87] Her first two successful tournaments of the year came at the Premier Mandatory events in March. 270 ZARAZUA SHOCKS STEPHENS IN ACAPULCO", "Stephens survives Navarro charge in Monterrey", "WTA Tour: Fifth seed Sloane Stephens shocked by teenager sensation Leylah Fernandez in Monterrey", "WTA and ATP announce further suspension of tennis through June 7", "ATP AND WTA EXTEND TOUR SUSPENSIONS INTO JULY DUE TO CORONAVIRUS", "Canada's Leylah Annie Fernandez upsets Sloane Stephens at Top Seed Open", "Western and Southern Open: Caroline Garcia beats Sloane Stephens, Vondrousova upset", "Serena Williams fights back, routs former champ Sloane Stephens", "Hibino handles Stephens in Strasbourg opener", "Badosa beats Stephens for Roland Garros breakthrough", "Canada's Leylah Annie Fernandez beats Sloane Stephens at Grampians Trophy", "Barty whitewash, Putintseva comeback lead to Australian Open wins", "Doi, Gracheva kick off Phillip Island Trophy with Garcia, Stephens upsets", "Stephens slumps to 0-4 in 2021 after Monterrey Open exit", "Sloane Stephens Breaks 2021 Duck At Miami Open, Svetlana Kuznetsova Loses In First Round", "BIANCA ANDREESCU TRIUMPHS IN MIAMI, AMANDA ANISIMOVA AWAITS", "WTA Charleston: Sloane Stephens upsets Madison Keys", "Spain's Badosa ousts world No. [20], Stephens began 2009 by winning her first two tournaments of the year, the Grade 1 USTA International Spring Championships and the Grade A Italian Open. [44] Early in the year, she played in her first Australian Open main draw and made it to the second round. 23, compatriot, and eventual finalist, Coco Gauff. In 2018, she continued her success by winning her first Premier Mandatory title at the Miami Open, reaching a second Grand Slam singles final at the French Open, entering the top 10 for the first time, and finishing runner-up at the WTA Finals. [113], By August, Stephens's ranking had continued to fall to as low as No. He worked alongside Othmane Garma while coaching Sloane and worked briefly with Monica Puig before reconciling with Sloane. [168] Seeded eighth in Strasbourg, she was beaten in the first round by Nao Hibino. In the first tie, Slovakia beat the USA 21. 128 in the world. [166] This loss brought her record for the year to 1-7. [7], Smith left Stephens's father after his multiple arrests in 1994. Othmane Garma, right, and Coach Kamau Murray, have helped Sloane Stephens regain her form after a number of injuries. However, unlike the previous year, Stephens was able to win two matches on the continent at the China Open. [45], She had foot surgery in January and could not walk again without a boot until the middle of April. 4, Maria Sakkari. She defeated three top-ten players at the event, including No. (W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (WL) winloss record. [108] At the time of her last WTA event of the year at the end of July, Stephens was ranked No. She achieved this ranking on the 16th of July, 2018. Stephens, ranked No. [45] With a higher seed, Stephens had a strong US Open series for the second consecutive year. [68] Despite these struggles, Stephens produced another good Grand Slam tournament result at the French Open, where she defeated three unseeded opponents none ranked higher than No. Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, made it clear the future will have to wait as she dominated 17-year-old Coco Gauff in their first meeting. [65][241] All of their matches since have been contested at high-level Premier tournaments or Grand Slam tournaments. [82], Stephens did not do well at the US Open either, losing in the second round to world No. 10 Inspirational Juan Martin del Potro Quotes, Sloane Stephenss achievements with different coaches. For longtime friends Sloane Stephens and Coco Gauff, US Open faceoff With these results, Stephens climbed back into the top 100 of the WTA rankings. [152] Konta also defeated her at Wimbledon. [17], Stephens began competing in low-level events on the ITF Junior Circuit in 2006 at the age of 13. [280] Her other health-related endorsements include doTerra, Precision Nutrition, and Colgate. Sloane Stephens had to think outside of the box when it came to staying competition-ready throughout the coronavirus pandemic . Seeded 26th, she won her opening two matches in straight sets before losing in the third round to third seed and six-time champion Serena Williams. Another opportunity for the both of us. [270][139] Stephens split with Murray during the 2018 offseason before reuniting with him in August 2019 shortly before the US Open. Sloane Stephens hired Kamau Murray, left, last fall to lift her career. [165] At the Cincinnati Open, she was defeated in the first round by Caroline Garcia. 1, Simona Halep, her first loss in a WTA singles final. [52] In late April, Stephens made her Fed Cup debut in an away playoff tie against Ukraine. Sloane Stephens is a top-rated American female tennis player with a lot to offer and a potential successor to the retired Serena Williams. [184] She was defeated in the third round by Liudmila Samsonova in three sets. Sloane Stephens has reconnected with coach Kamau Murray days ahead of this year's U.S. Open, which Stephens won in 2017 while working with Murray. Sloane Stephens: Meet Your Coach | TopCourt - YouTube She achieved this ranking on the 16th of July, 2018. She played two singles matches and the decisive doubles rubber. [246] Both of these wins came before Halep entered the top ten in 2014. [121][122] She became the first American woman other than the Williams sisters to win a major title since Jennifer Capriati won the Australian Open in 2002 and the first to win the US Open since Lindsay Davenport in 1998. [186] In Montreal, she was beaten in the second round by top seed and world No. Stephens later stated, "I kept playing when I shouldn't have,"[60] as part of an effort to try to qualify for the Olympics. [6][25], In 2010, Stephens partnered with Tmea Babos to win the doubles title at all three majors in which they participated. 198. Sloane Stephens (born March 20, 1993) is an American professional tennis player. [287] Stephens is of Trinidadian descent through her maternal grandfather Noel Smith, who came to the United States from Trinidad to pursue a career as a doctor. [116] In the fourth round, she defeated No. [135] Stephens entered the French Open having never reached the quarterfinals. [105] She also lost in the first round of the Australian Open for the second consecutive year, this time to a qualifier. [45], In the off-season, Stephens hired Kamau Murray to be her new coach. Although she disliked that they were uninterested in signing autographs at a match she attended and has also commented that neither of them tried to serve as one of her mentors, Stephens has stated she developed a good relationship with the Williams sisters. Similar to the case of Annacone, she also spent some time with Thomas after departing from Annacone. [120] Stephens closed out the tournament by defeating Keys in straight sets to win her first Grand Slam tournament title. 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. Stephens has talked about her newly formed player-coach partnership with longtime friend Darian King this week. [42][17] Her only other WTA Tour win that year came at the Swedish Open in July. [51] Stephens then closed out the winter hardcourt season by qualifying for the Miami Open. [77] She was able to recover in time to open her season at the Australian Open. [277], Stephens uses Head rackets, specifically endorsing the Speed line as of January 2023. The two Americans finished the round-robin in third place in their group, with only one rubber win against Spain. [156] Stephens fell out of the top 10 shortly before the US Open, and again afterwards. 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. [182] She lost in her fourth-round match to eventual champion Barbora Krejkov. 1 seed, followed by this year's French Open champion, Ashleigh Barty, at No. 110 Sloane Stephens Coach Premium High Res Photos Her favorite surface is clay, on which she was a finalist at the French Open.