"I wouldn't want my kid to play tennis" - Sloane Stephens narrates harrowing stalker incident that impacted her life and career
Sloane Stephens has voiced her opposition to her child pursuing tennis professionally. The former World No. 3 narrated a harrowing personal experience to justify her stance and opined that tennis players are increasingly falling prey to online hate, which is directly impacting their mental health.
Stephens married her childhood friend and American soccer player Jozy Altidore in 2022. The 2017 US Open champion currently lives with Altidore and Cameron, the soccer player's son from a previous relationship. Stephens and Cameron share a close relationship, and the former World No. 3 often publicly shares the moments they spend together.
Recently, Sloane Stephens appeared as a featured guest on the Tennis Insider Club podcast. During her conversation with the podcast's hosts, the 31-year-old spoke up about the incessant online criticism and hate that are often directed towards players, and how they are problematic. In light of this, Stephens opined that she would want Cameron to not pursue a career in tennis.
"I feel like that's a problem (hate comments on social media). I actually wouldn't want my kid to play tennis because I don't want them to have to deal with the things that I dealt with. It's uncomfortable for everyone." (at 48:27)
The Florida native then revisited an incident that revolved around a stalker who targeted her and members of her family following her shock 2017 US Open title triumph. The case was taken up by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which had reached out to Stephens' mother, Sybil, and urged her to convince her daughter to testify against the stalker in court.
The former World No. 3 recalled how her mother was shellshocked upon learning about these developments. At the time, Stephens herself was participating in the French Open.
"I would say five years ago I had an FBI case where someone went to jail because of the things that they were saying to me online and when they called my mom, it was in the middle of the French Open and they were like, 'We need to talk to you about what's happening with your daughter. We know she's playing in the French Open and we want her to testify in this court case.' My mom was like, 'what is going on here? what's happening?',"
Stephens added:
"And it was like, thousands of messages that this one person had sent, only to me, and after I had won the US Open, and it was literally non-stop, but it was to everyone in my family. To my grandparents, writing letters to their house. In my life, I would never want anyone to be affected by what I did."
Two years ago, Stephens attended the launch of the White House Task Force, where she shed light on the threat posed by online hate.
"I've been harrassed and threatened" - Sloane Stephens at White House Task Force launch in 2022
In June 2022, US Vice President Kamala Harris launched the White House Task Force in a bid to curb rampant online abuse directed at both public figures and civilians living low-key lives. Sloane Stephens was invited to the launch of the task force at the White House, and the 2017 US Open champion also delivered a speech, in which she talked about her own experiences of regularly dealing with online hate. In her speech, Sloane Stephens said:
"People know where I live and everything I do. I’ve been harassed and threatened. I understand that I am a public figure so this comes with the scope of my work. But that access and exposure should never come at the expense of my safety."
Stephens, 31, continues to compete on the WTA Tour and won her seventh WTA Tour-level title earlier this year at the Open de Rouen. With a win-loss record of 19-22 this year, the Florida native is currently ranked at World No. 75 in singles. In doubles, she is the World No. 64, having won the 2024 Charleston Open women's doubles title alongside Ashlyn Krueger.