Now, Stephens has Nadal's former coach in her corner. Nonetheless, the United States won the tie 32 to secure a place in the 2014 World Group. Similar to the case of Annacone, she also spent some time with Thomas after departing from Annacone. 2 Angelique Kerber, who needed to retire in the second set due to an illness. [160] Seeded fifth at the Monterrey Open, she got her first victory of the year by beating compatriot, Emma Navarro, in the first round. "[230] Keys has said, "I always want to see Sloane do well. 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. The title brought Stephens back into the top 30. [45], In the off-season, Stephens hired Kamau Murray to be her new coach. In contrast, she has a more compact swing with her two-handed backhand. [11] She started playing tennis at the age of nine at the Sierra Sport and Racquet Club, a tennis facility located across the street from her house where her stepfather regularly played and her mother was taking lessons. 200711: Tour debut, entering the top 100, 2013: Major semifinal, Serena upset, world No. Stephens had entered the month having never reached a semifinal at a high-level Premier tournament. She was also awarded WTA Comeback Player of the Year for her successful season. [197], Stephens started her 2022 season at the Australian Open. Not many athletes get to live their dream. [41] Although she seldom played on the pro tour that year, Stephens decided to turn pro in October following a strong junior season. [270][139] Stephens split with Murray during the 2018 offseason before reuniting with him in August 2019 shortly before the US Open. [241] In 2015, Stephens won the first set of their encounters at the Indian Wells Open and the French Open, but ultimately lost in three sets in both instances. 13 and was named WTA Comeback Player of the Year. In addition, she switched coaches David Nainkin in June 2012 to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. She began training at the Evert Tennis Academy founded by John Evert and also run by his sister, International Tennis Hall of Famer Chris Evert. Sloane Stephens has ended her coaching relationship with Paul Annacone after eight months, according to a release from the American's management company Wednesday. 45 while rising no higher than No. Photo: Chris Smith/ Volvo Car Open. Stephens has a 5-2 record against Madison Keys, winning their first three matches in straight sets. They became just the second pair of girls to win three Grand Slam tournament doubles titles in one season after Corina Morariu and Ludmila Varmuov in 1995. Sloane Stephens reunites with coach Kamau Murray ahead of U.S. Open. [132] In March, Stephens returned to form and won the Miami Open, her first Premier Mandatory title. She attended several WTA events in the United States including Indian Wells, the Miami, and Charleston, where she interviewed fellow tennis players and also provided analysis. Murray also . 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. In her first appearance in 2008, she defeated world No. [148] In her final match of the season, Stephens was able to win the first set against Elina Svitolina, but ultimately lost the match. [65][241] All of their matches since have been contested at high-level Premier tournaments or Grand Slam tournaments. [7], Smith left Stephens's father after his multiple arrests in 1994. [18] During the US Open, she left New York after her first match to attend her biological father's funeral in Louisiana. In the first tie, Slovakia beat the USA 21. But she was able to reach the semifinals of both Premier 5 tournaments that month, the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. 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. [116] In the fourth round, she defeated No. Former top 100 player Francisco Gonzlez, the head of tennis at the club, recognized Stephens had impressive ability given her limited experience and recommended her to pursue more rigorous training opportunities. [218] Seeded fourth at the Hobart International, she was defeated in the first round by qualifier, compatriot, and eventual champion, Lauren Davis. . She achieved this ranking on the 16th of July, 2018. [97] She maintained a steady ranking all year, dropping no lower than No. [136][137] Despite going up a set and a break, Stephens lost the final to world No. She is one of the few black Americans after the Williams sisters that have been ranked among the World's Top 10 female tennis players. Emma Hruby Jan 18, 2022. "[260][261][262], When Stephens was just starting to play tennis at the Sierra Sport and Racquet Club, one of her first instructors was Francisco Gonzlez, a retired professional tennis player once ranked in the top 50. Stephens also earned acareer-high rank of No. 1 seed, followed by this year's French Open champion, Ashleigh Barty, at No. 151, Kristna Kuov. From there, she continued her training in Boca Raton, where she trained at Evert Tennis Academy before she made her way to Nick Saviano High-Performance Tennis Academy at 12. She defeated No. [46] She then made it through qualifying at the French Open to make her Grand Slam main-draw debut in singles. Sloane Stephens(2015-19, 2019-21) Monica Puig(2019) Coaching achievements Coachee singles titles total 5 List of notable tournaments (with champion) US Open(Stephens) Last updated on: 7 April 2021. 336. 92 to reach the fourth round. [72] Nonetheless, her best result of the season came at the French Open, where she lost to No. He was also the one who advised her to pursue a career in tennis before she proceeded to Boca Raton to train. That is a definite contest. Here are the individuals that have contributed to her growth.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'thetennistime_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_4',152,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thetennistime_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Sloanes first coach was an ex-top 50 tennis player, Francisco Gonzalez, who instructed her at the Sierra Sport and Racquet Club. In the opening round, she defeated Rka Luca Jani for her first Grand Slam tournament match win. [109] While unable to play on the tour, Stephens was granted the opportunity to be a broadcaster for the Tennis Channel. 5 and winning three out of four major girls' doubles titles in 2010 with her partner Tmea Babos. [248] Their next big match, the final at the Canadian Open, was ranked as the match of the year by the WTA. 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. She has no Doubles titles and has been ranked as high as 94 under the category. IBM is already working with American stars Sloane Stephens and Frances Tiafoe -- neither of whom advanced to the third round of this year's U.S. Open -- to test out Coach Advisor, using them to . 44-ranked Puig, she continued. 2, Victoria Azarenka, for the second consecutive year. [279] She has appeared in television advertisements for Built with Chocolate Milk, a campaign to encourage chocolate milk as a recovery drink. When she returned to the court, this injury continued to hinder her performance as she did not defeat another top 50 opponent until after the clay-court season. 4 in the world, making her the first American woman other than the Williams sisters to be ranked in the top 5 in singles since Lindsay Davenport in 2006. We have collected in the table the data about the trophies won by Sloane Stephens under the guidance of various coaches.CoachesYears of CompletionTitlesFrancisco Gonzalez 2002 2004John and Chris Evert2004- 2005Nick Saviano2005 2009; 20152015 Washington DC OpenRoger Smith2009 2012David Nainkin 2012 2013Paul Annacone 2013 2014Thomas Hogstedt 2014 2015Kamau Murray 2015 2018; 2019 20212018 Miami Open 2017 US Open 2016 Auckland Open 2016 Acapulco Open 2016 Charleston OpenDarian King2021 till date2022 Guadalajara Openif(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'thetennistime_com-leader-1','ezslot_15',560,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thetennistime_com-leader-1-0'); Hi all, I'm Nick. She also started the Sloane Stephens Foundation, which helps build tennis courts and set up after-school tennis programs for underserved students in conjunction with supplemental tutoring. Emma Raducanu defeats Sloane Stephens in early Australian Open test. 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. 11 in the world,. [207] She reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 by defeating 23rd seed and world No. 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. Although she remained in the top 10 for the majority of the year in large part due to ranking points she was defending from the previous year's WTA Finals, she could not match her best performances at the Grand Slam tournaments or other higher-level events. 3 in the singles rankings after the tournament. Stephens also reached a career-high ranking of No. [276] At the 2021 French Open, she wore a striking all-black outfit, despite the heat. Her favorite surface is clay, on which she was a finalist at the French Open. [72], At the Cincinnati Open in August, Stephens scored her second big upset of the year when she knocked out Sharapova, the No. [138], Stephens is an all-court player, having reached the quarterfinals or better at all four majors. [161] She fell in the second round to Leylah Fernandez. Published Aug 21, 2019. When the WTA Tour resumed tournament play in August, Stephens competed at the first edition of the Top Seed Open. She demonstrated this type of mindset after her early 2014 US Open loss, saying, "I'm not gonna dwell on this. Stephens' results with Groeneveld were inconsistent. 12 and was one of only three players to make it to the second week of all four Grand Slam tournaments in 2013, along with Williams and Agnieszka Radwaska. [168] Seeded eighth in Strasbourg, she was beaten in the first round by Nao Hibino. [6] Pro Football Hall of Famer Raymond Berry regarded him as the best athlete he had ever seen. Seeded 24th at the Australian Open, she was eliminated in the first round by Zhang Shuai, despite serving for the match in the second set. While 19 years old, Stephens rose to prominence at the 2013 Australian Open with a semifinal run beating world No. [177] She ended up losing in the quarterfinals to 15th seed and eventual champion, Veronika Kudermetova. 1 Swiatek", "Gauff bests Stephens at French Open, reaches first Grand Slam semifinal", "Katie Swan stuns grand slam winner Sloane Stephens in Bad Homburg", "Wimbledon: Zheng Qinwen defeats Sloane Stephens on Wimbledon debut", "Photos: Tomljanovic, Azarenka first-round winners in Washington", "Sakkari: Overcame Stephens' difficult test with a 2-1 set win", "Stat of the Day: Swiatek tallies 50th win of the season in Cincy", "No. In thecharacteristically wide-open landscape of women's tennis, Stephens will be one of many potential contenders for this year's U.S. Open, which will announce its main draw Thursday and begin play Monday. [117] She then defeated No. [277], Stephens uses Head rackets, specifically endorsing the Speed line as of January 2023. The reception was held at the St. Regis in Bal Harbour, Fla., in Miami Beach. [114][115][45], Stephens entered the US Open at No. She ended up taking the rest of the year off to recover. Happy to have Francis Roig . [271][272] She split with Murray in 2021 before the Miami Open and is working with ATP tennis player Darian King who is also her practice partner. Due to a rain suspension, she was forced to play the end of her semifinal match against No. She was eliminated in the first round by ninth seed Garbie Muguruza. A few days ago, Stephens had also announced her. "Looking back on it now, I should have asked to. [101] Her third and last title of the year came on clay at the higher-level Charleston Open, a low-level Premier event. [203] At the Madrid Open, she was defeated in the first round by Anhelina Kalinina. [278], After her US Open victory, Stephens accrued several new sponsors, including Mercedes-Benz. Sloane Stephens hires Rafael Nadal's former tennis coach. Kamau Murray. [239][237] She also noted that she has read Serena's autobiography and respects her strong personality. 6 in the world, her best year-end ranking to date. [205] Seeded sixth at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, she was stunned in the first round by world No. [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. She has since won five of her six titles, including three in 2016, her first major at the 2017 US Open, and her first Premier Mandatory title in 2018. [42][17] Her only other WTA Tour win that year came at the Swedish Open in July. [238][239] Nonetheless, Stephens has said the two of them still had a good relationship. View. She lost her first two matches back, one to compatriot Alison Riske at Wimbledon, and the other to No. Stephens was down a set and a break early in the second set, but came from behind to pull off a huge upset. Stephens started her season at the first edition of the Grampians Trophy. [123][124] She also became the lowest-ranked US Open champion ever, and the fifth-lowest at any Grand Slam tournament. [18], At the French Open, Stephens extended her main-draw win streak to 16 matches in a row to start the season, despite needing to qualify for the main draw, before losing to French junior Kristina Mladenovic in the semifinals. Nonetheless, she finished the year as the youngest player in the top 50 at No. 3, Serena Williams. The foundation is run by Stephens, her mother, and her uncle Ronald Smith. We aims to be available wherever and whenever you need it. She did not return to form until late May when she reached her second semifinal at Strasbourg. But Keys prevailed at the 2021 Italian Open a month later. "[131] In the coming months, she would prove to be correct, first by snapping her losing streak at her next tournament in Acapulco. [3] In March 2010, Stephens qualified for the Indian Wells Open to make her WTA debut a week before turning 17. She defeated Lucie Hradeck in her first career main-draw match before losing to the defending champion, 12th-seeded Vera Zvonareva. [6][25], In 2010, Stephens partnered with Tmea Babos to win the doubles title at all three majors in which they participated. Because Halep has dominated their matches, Stephens has downplayed their rivalry, saying, "It's not a rivalry if you don't beat the person. She lost in the first round of the Citi Open and the Rogers Cup before a second-round loss last week in Cincinnati, a disappointing stretch of matches entering what has been her most successful major tournament. She has made the list of the Tennis International Hall of Fame, which is well-deserved considering her 157 Singles titles and 32 Doubles titles. She is enshrined in the Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame and recognized as the greatest swimmer in the history of the university. [190], At the first edition of the Chicago Fall Classic, Stephens was eliminated in the first round by 13th seed Tamara Zidanek. Francisco was an ex-Paraguay tennis player who retired in 1990 after claiming 10 Doubles and no Singles. [297] She finished her degree while recovering from foot surgery earlier in the year. [65] Although Stephens would lose her next match to world 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. [208] She was defeated in the quarterfinals by 18th seed, world No. Stephens was defeated by a top ten player in both semifinals, No. 1 Iga Swiatek trounces former champ Sloane Stephens", "Quite a scene in Parma; Sloane Stephens overcomes bee sting, difficult opponent", "Parma Ladies Open: Maria Sakkari claims last-8 spot; Sloane Stephens exits", "Sloane Stephens falls to Masarova in opening Auckland contest; Sofia Kenin sets Gauff clash", "Sloane Stephens in early Hobart WTA exit", "Australian Open 2023 results: Maria Sakkari avoids a shock against Diana Shnaider", "Mrida Open: Stephens gets first win of 2023", "World TeamTennis Adds Stars Tiafoe, Puig, Roanic, Bouchard, & Sock As Rosters Set For 2020", "U.S. Open Loss Behind Her, Madison Keys Accentuates the Positive", "Madison Keys will crack top 10 in world rankings after reaching Birmingham final", "Why is it the American women are thriving at the US Open? Her mother was the first African-American woman in Division I history to be selected to the first team of All-American swimmers. [134], Despite winning the second biggest title of her career, Stephens was unable to make the quarterfinals in any of her French Open preparation tournaments. 2 seed in the WTT Playoffs. [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. Sloane Stephens had to think outside of the box when it came to staying competition-ready throughout the coronavirus pandemic . 1, Serena Williams, who was returning from her long boycott of the tournament. Tennis Time is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. [187] At the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, she lost in the first round to qualifier Caroline Garcia. [186] In Montreal, she was beaten in the second round by top seed and world No. 21, Jessica Pegula.[202]. 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. Even though they only met a few times in person, the two of them developed a close relationship remotely. The two Americans finished the round-robin in third place in their group, with only one rubber win against Spain. Their two biggest matches came in 2018, both of which were three set finals. Also, I like listening to Depeche Mode and walking my dog. Sloane Stephens is a long-time Rafa Nadal fan. [293][294] She had previously dated fellow American tennis player Jack Sock for over a year. [43][44] After starting the year ranked No. [77] She was able to recover in time to open her season at the Australian Open. 10 Dominika Cibulkov. [154], Outside of the majors, Stephens best performance also came on clay at the Madrid Open, a Premier Mandatory event. [135] Stephens entered the French Open having never reached the quarterfinals. Kamau also established a Tennis Programme named XS in Chicago. Just a week before the US Open, former champion Sloane Stephens has parted ways with coach Sven Groeneveld. [188] Ranked 66 at the US Open, she won a tight three-set first-round match over 2017 finalist Madison Keys. [12][13][14] Two years after she started playing tennis, Stephens relocated to Boca Raton in Florida. "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.. Seeded sixth, she won her seventh WTA singles title by beating Marie Bouzkov in the final. "[61] Stephens improved on that result the following week with a semifinal at the Hobart International. 4, Maria Sakkari. [128] This was the first title for the United States since 2000. She finally did end her season upon being diagnosed with a stress fracture. [78] Her next successful tournament came in March at the Indian Wells Open. [166] This loss brought her record for the year to 1-7. 3 Garbie Muguruza, and No. [143][144] She then closed out the season by participating in her first WTA Finals in Singapore. [165] At the Cincinnati Open, she was defeated in the first round by Caroline Garcia. He has won a total of 38 ITF titles, including 16 Singles and 22 Doubles. [81] In the grass-court season, Stephens was seeded 18th at Wimbledon, but suffered a first round loss to world No. [45], Stephens struggled throughout the 2019 season. [89][90], Despite these good results, Stephens got off to a slow start in the clay-court season. [280] Her other health-related endorsements include doTerra, Precision Nutrition, and Colgate. She notably defeated world No. Here's to a successful journey together, let's get to work," tweeted the 29-year-old American, who won her only Major title at Flushing Meadows in 2017. I'm always cheering for her."[231]. [120] Stephens closed out the tournament by defeating Keys in straight sets to win her first Grand Slam tournament title. The 2017 titlist took to Twitter on Monday to announce that she will no longer be. Stephens was the 2017 US Open champion, and has won seven WTA Tour singles titles in total. [32], Stephens played her first professional events on the ITF Women's Circuit in late 2007. Since then, she has risen to become a star, winning a total of 7 Singles career titles, including a Grand Slam and attaining a career highest ranking of 3. He coached Sloane Stephens to a US Open title, but Kamau Murray's big goal is a youth tennis center in Chicago He's creating a pipeline of black tennis talent By David Mendell February 23, 2018 Tennis instructor Kamau Murray watches over Jabari Cooke, 15, at the non-profit XS Tennis Village in Chicago. 11 in October and became the second-highest ranked American. 9 Venus Williams. She achieved this ranking on the 16th of July, 2018. [110] Stephens returned to the WTA Tour in July for Wimbledon, about eleven months after her last match and with her ranking having dropped to No. 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. [213] At the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, she lost in the second round to world No. 3, Agnieszka Radwaska. (Courtesy of Othmane Garma) Comment on this story This was only the fourth time in the previous 47 Grand Slam singles finals where the winner of the first set was unable to win the match.