Sloane Stephens shares hopeful message about prayers and resurgence amid recent struggles with form
Sloane Stephens reached the pinnacle of her career by winning the US Open in 2017 and climbing to World No. 3 in 2018. However, since then, she has faced struggles with her form, falling to World No. 75. Recently, Stephens hinted at a potential resurgence by sharing a motivational quote online.
Stephens took to Instagram to reshare a post by @thesquashedstories on her Story. The post consisted of a motivational quote:
"Those prayers do work, and those tables do turn. Don't give up."
Stephens has become one of the top American tennis players over the past decade. Her breakthrough moment came in 2013 when she reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, defeating Serena Williams along the way.
However, her most significant achievement came in 2017 when she won the US Open, her first and only Grand Slam title, after returning from foot surgery earlier that year.
In 2018, she was a runner-up at the French Open and the WTA Finals, besides reaching a career-high ranking of No. 3. Since then, Stephens has struggled with consistency, managing to win just two WTA 250 titles over the past six years.
Sloane Stephens opens up about retirement plans
In 2024, Sloane Stephens holds a 19-22 record in singles but has won a WTA 250 title in Rouen. She has faced multiple first-round exits prompting fans to ask questions about her retirement.
During a recent appearance on the Tennis Insider Club podcast, Stephens said she was not close to retirement yet.
"Everyone asks me that, I feel so old! I have no idea. I guess when I start losing and they are not paying me any more!" Stephens said.
"This is a good job to stay at. There is a lot of travel and it’s hectic and it’s hard. There is a lot of adversity happening every single week which nobody ever sees, but I think what job is going to pay you to put on your tennis dress and go on and play a match on live TV? Otherwise, I’m going to be at home. Until I have a kid or something," she added.
Stephens hinted that she’s not ready to retire just yet, saying she still feels motivated to explore new places and experience new things.
She said that traveling, like her recent trip to Asia, and setting goals such as visiting the Great Wall, have given her something to look forward to, helping maintain her drive to continue playing.