SUMMARY
- Sloane Stephens was regarded as one of the rising stars in American tennis.
- Sloane Stephens used to idolize Serena Williams in her childhood, but their chemistry with each other has been problematic.
The WTA tour has seen many rivalries take center stage on the court. These rivalries go on for years and continue to grow off the court. One of the friendships which has turned into rivalries is that of Sloane Stephens and Serena Williams. While Stephens had once idolized Serena, things changed once they played each other on the court.
Serena and Stephens started on a good note. The former world No.1 had even praised Stephens for being a good competitor on the tour. Later, the 30-year-old confessed that things were not smooth with Serena. Stephens said, “She’s not said one word to me, not spoken to me, not said hi, not looked my way.” She told Serena had unfollowed her on X and deleted her from BlackBerry Messenger.
Stay tuned for the next @SloaneStephens episode 🎥 👀 pic.twitter.com/oAhcW8Otcz
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 10, 2024
During a recent interview, Stephens talked about her best days on the tour. She did not mention the Australian Open victory over Serena, her only win in seven meetings against the legend. Serena had posted a cryptic tweet saying, “I made you” after her loss to Stephens in Melbourne. Both players have not spoken about each other recently.
Sloane Stephens is waiting for grand slam success this season
Stephens had made her grand slam debut at the French Open in 2011. The American won her only Grand Slam at the 2017 US Open. Since then, her best performance at the Grand Slams has been a runner-up finish at the French Open in 2018. But Stephens has not gotten past the fourth round in the past five majors. In the 2024 Australian Open, she lost in the third round.
The former world No.3 last reached the Grand Slam quarterfinals at the French Open in 2022. The clay court major has been where she gets a breakthrough. Stephens has 35 wins from 47 matches at Roland Garros and has played in 12 editions so far. It has been nine months since she had a three-match winning streak on the tour.
I don’t know about you guys but I feel like we’re out the gates & we hit the track running in 2024 😅. I’m miles ahead of where I was this time last year and I’m pumped and excited to keep the energy going. Thank you all so much for the support and it’s only going to get better! pic.twitter.com/nuihvcNXa2
— sloanestephens (@SloaneStephens) January 21, 2024
The world No.39 is currently the fifth-highest-ranked American on the WTA tour in singles. Stephens will be hoping to perform well on the big stages this year. She can prove to critics that she is not a “One Slam wonder”. Stephens lost in the opening round of the ongoing Qatar Open and should now prepare to be in form for the golden swing, which will begin next month.