Tennis Star Sloane Stephens is Married!
She surprised us all with a New Year's Day wedding... Get the scoop on how she got started in tennis... winning the U.S. Open... and helping the next generation.
So, I was minding my own business.
Scrolling through Instagram.
When I came across a post from my Bulletin colleague – and someone I greatly admire – tennis star, Sloane Stephens.
Wait.
Is that her? In. A. Wedding dress???
Photo: Stanley Babb
When we sat down for a chat (over Zoom) a few months ago, she told me she was engaged.
But her post still took my breath away.
She did it. On New Year’s Day.
Photo: Stanley Babb
And looked. Like. This.
Photo: Stanley Babb
If you don’t follow tennis, or sports, and don’t know much about this phenomenal human, get ready to be blown away.
Sloane Stephens is not just a superstar on the court – a U.S. Open singles title to her name and a win against Serena Williams at age 19 – she’s equally impressive off the court.
Here’s her story.
“MY MOM ALWAYS SECRETLY WANTED ME TO BE A TENNIS PLAYER”
SLOANE STEPHENS: Before I was born, [my mom] went to the French Open. And that’s when she was like, "I want my daughter to be a tennis player."
Sloane Stephens with her mother, Sybil Smith, a Hall of Fame Swimmer; Photo: Stanley Babb
ALINA CHO: So, she put you up for lessons, or how did that happen?
SLOANE STEPHENS: No, not at all. We lived across the street from a club, and I went to summer camp at the club. So, in the summer camp — it was an all-day thing — you played tennis, you do games, you do swimming, you do everything. I really loved the coach [who] was doing the tennis portion of it, and I was like, "I really like him, I want to play tennis.”
ALINA CHO: So, that was it.
SLOANE STEPHENS: And after the summer was over, I started taking lessons during the school year once a week, and then it just picked up after that and I started going twice a week, and then I ended up being in the after-school program.
ALINA CHO: Do you remember how old you were when you first stepped onto a court?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I started when I was 9, so I started a little late…
ALINA CHO: But very quickly a coach recognized that you were special, right?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, so the coach that I grew up playing with at the club across the street from my house, he was actually a professional player and he played Davis Cup for Puerto Rico, and his best friend was a coach [who] was coaching in Florida. And [that coach] was like, "You have to take [Sloane] to Florida to practice." I was born in Florida.
ALINA CHO: I saw that.
SLOANE STEPHENS: So, my mom was like, "Oh, yeah, we'll go for a couple of weeks, we have family there, it's not a problem." So we went, we worked with that coach, it was great, and then two years later we end up moving back to Florida. Obviously, Florida's the tennis capital of the U.S., so it worked out. But yeah, that's how I started playing, just across the street from my house.
BEATING SERENA
ALINA CHO: I feel like you jumped onto the world stage at a very young age, you were 19, you were at the Australian Open, you had this incredible upset where you beat Serena Williams.
Sloane Stephens beats Serena Williams at the Australian Open, January 23, 2013; Photo: Getty Images
SLOANE STEPHENS: It was just my first year out playing full tournaments. I was just super happy to be on tour and to be traveling, it was the first time I was away from home, and it was very exciting. And then suddenly, I beat Serena and it was like, "Okay, she's actually really good," and there were definitely a lot more eyes [on me].
ALINA CHO: I can imagine.
SLOANE STEPHENS: I'm very thankful that I played for the U.S. because there are tons of athletes [who] get the spotlight every single week and it's not just you, you, you, you, you. There are a lot of players [who] play on our tour from countries where they are the pride and joy of their country. And yes, it's an amazing thing, but it is a very heavy load to carry.
ALINA CHO: Interesting point.
SLOANE STEPHENS: I've also played at a time where Venus and Serena [Williams], who have been, from our generation, the best tennis players to ever play, right? It was a very exciting time. It definitely showed, "Okay, I can be a great player, I can do amazing things."
ALINA CHO: "I really have a shot at being the best in the world," right?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah. You don’t know how it's going to happen, when it's going to happen, whatever, but I think in general I was like, "Okay, this exciting, this is fun, I'm only 19, I have so much further to go. By the end of this, I'll have done something great," right? I was like, "Okay, I'm definitely going to make a living playing this sport."
THE BIGGEST MOMENT OF HER CAREER
ALINA CHO: You had maybe the biggest moment in your career just a couple of years ago when you won the singles title at the U.S. Open.
Sloane Stephens after her U.S. Open singles title win, September 9, 2017; Photo: Getty Images
That was 2017, right?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yes. I had basically no ranking, I had a protected ranking because I was out for eleven months because I had foot surgery. So, coming back, obviously winning, I'd only played five tournaments before the U.S. Open. In general, it was overwhelming, but it was ten times more overwhelming because I had been at home on my couch doing absolutely nothing for ten months. I went from doing nothing, no one cares about you, to winning the U.S. Open.
Photo: Getty Images
ALINA CHO: Wow.
SLOANE STEPHENS: Obviously, as an American winning the U.S. Open. I remember watching Andy Roddick when he won the U.S. Open and it was incredible, right?
Andy Roddick wins the U.S. Open singles title, September 7, 2003; Photo: Getty Images
Obviously, you see an American winning the biggest tournament, probably for tennis, in the world.
ALINA CHO: Absolutely.
SLOANE STEPHENS: It was something that I never really expected. I think my goal was always to win a grand slam. To be able to accomplish that, obviously, that's what anyone who ever plays professional tennis [wants]. And I think for me, I was a little bit lost after I won, because I was like, "What do I do now?"
ALINA CHO: Oh, interesting.
SLOANE STEPHENS: I was like, "What do people do after this?" It was the highlight of my career, obviously, and the highlight of my life. It was a lot of money, it was on the world's biggest stage, it was one of the most watched tennis matches to date. Something I'll never forget.
THE SLOANE STEPHENS FOUNDATION
SLOANE STEPHENS: After I won the U.S. Open, I was like, "Okay, what do I do now?" Finding something to play for and figuring out why I wanted to still be on the court…
ALINA CHO: And so why do you still want to be on the court?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I think mostly it's because of my foundation, the kids we work with, and I think for them, having someone to look up to.
Photo credit: Sloane Stephens Foundation
We work predominantly in Compton, California, so we do the whole school district in Compton.
ALINA CHO: When did you start your foundation?
SLOANE STEPHENS: In 2013.
ALINA CHO: In a nutshell, what do you do?
SLOANE STEPHENS: So, we do after-school tennis and Saturday tennis.
Photo credit: Sloane Stephens Foundation
Compton is predominantly Hispanic. Basically, we offer SAT prep, reading labs over the summer, we do full summer camps, and we do half tennis, half education [camps]. A lot of our kids, they drop a full reading level over the summer because they don't read, they just don't do anything, they just sit at home. So, it's giving kids the opportunity to come out, play tennis and get that extra help over the summer, so they don't drop a grade level.
ALINA CHO: Talk about purpose.
SLOANE STEPHENS: We help kids from all over the country [who are] prepping to go to college or looking for college scholarships — how they get access to coaches, how they approach coaches, how they contact coaches. It's that whole process and teaching them what to do.
ALINA CHO: Incredible.
SLOANE STEPHENS: A lot of the parents don't know anything about tennis. They're like, "My kid wants to go to college, what do I do?" So, it's a very helpful tool for kids of color and race to be able to come and gather and figure out what their next steps are in tennis.
ALINA CHO: Essentially, you're opening up tennis to a population that might not otherwise have access to it, right?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Exactly.
ALINA CHO: And that's an amazing thing, that's an amazing thing.
*(Cover photo: Stanley Babb)