"The Kids are the future" - Sloane Stephens hosts a play day for junior tennis players in South Africa
Sloane Stephens, through her foundation, recently hosted a play day for junior tennis players in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Sloane Stephens Foundation, founded in 2013, is a nonprofit organization that uses tennis and education as a means of enhancing the lives of young people from underprivileged backgrounds.
The 2017 US Open champion traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa, for the Africa Cares Women's Tennis Challenge, but the event was postponed. However, she made the most of the opportunity by hosting a playday through her foundation for junior tennis players from the Yeoville neighborhood of Johannesburg.
Stephens took to Instagram to share pictures from the day and thanked those who helped make it possible. She also expressed her desire to return in the future.
“@sloanestephensfoundation hosted a play day at @the.wanderersclub for some of the amazing junior tennis players from the Yeoville area of Johannesburg. Thank you to Coach Mike Nkosi for everything he does to create tennis and scholarship opportunities for local youth and to @iconicafrica for coordinating. We are happy to be donating equipment and clothing to this program and are excited to return in the future!” the American wrote on Instagram.
She also posted a picture from the event on her Instagram stories.
"The Kids are the future," she captioned the post.
The Africa Cares Women’s Tennis Challenge is a two-day exhibition event in partnership with UNICEF South Africa aiming to bring high-level tennis to the country and inspire women and girls to strive for excellence.
Along with Sloane Stephens, notable players like Ons Jabeur, Karolina Pliskova, and Martina Hingis were scheduled to compete at the event before it was postponed indefinitely.
“Sad that the Africa Cares exhibition was postponed - I would’ve loved to play on this beautiful continent again and for a great cause. Traveling Africa has been an incredible experience and I can’t wait to be back,” wrote Sloane Stephens on Twitter.
Sad that the Africa Cares exhibition was postponed - I would’ve loved to play on this beautiful continent again and for a great cause. Traveling Africa has been an incredible experience and I can’t wait to be back ✨
"This might be my favorite picnic experience of all time" - Sloane Stephens on her South African vacation
During her stay in South Africa, Sloane Stephens spent her time exploring some of the most beautiful places the country has to offer and shared pictures from her excursions.
"South Africa, we made it! I can’t wait to spend the next couple of days exploring, learning and, of course, playing a little bit of tennis here," Stephens wrote on an Instagram post upon her arrival in the country.
"This might be my favorite picnic experience of all time," she wrote in another social media post a few days later.
This might be my favorite picnic of all time ❤️❤️ https://t.co/sMHXo6O1oG
The tennis star and her husband, Jozy Altidore, visited Londolozi, a private game reserve in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve near Kruger National Park, among other places.
"The best possible summary of the past 3 days. It honestly doesn’t even begin to show how amazing this experience has been," she wrote.
The best possible summary of the past 3 days in South Africa. It honestly doesn’t even begin to show how amazing this experience has been. 📸🦁 https://t.co/U4mZWcz3Gl