US Open Series Interview: Sloane Stephens

Since losing five of her first six matches of 2021, 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens has been on an upswing.

Candid about her struggles to begin the year, including how her family was personally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 28-year-old's season trajectory changed at the Volvo Car Open in April, when she decided to get back to basics: seeking a spark, she asked longtime friend and fellow touring pro Darian King, whom she described as "like my mother's third child" to media in Charleston, to join her coaching team and complement the assistance she was receiving from Diego Moyano and others. Crediting King with bringing "energy and fun" back to her tennis, she reached the last eight on the green clay—her first quarterfinal appearance since the 2019 French Open.

Going 14-7 since, highlights of Stephens' spring and summer include a fourth-round showing at the French Open, where she upset Karolina Pliskova and lost only to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova, and a win over two-time champion Petra Kvitova in the first round of Wimbledon. After slipping and picking up a knee injury in her second-round win over compatriot Kristie Ahn at the All-England Club, however, Stephens lost her next match and was sidelined for nearly a month. After facing Kim Clijsters in an exhibition event in Atlanta, she made her official return to the North American hardcourts last week in San Jose, and beat Caty McNally in her first match before being beaten by the red-hot Danielle Collins, who went on to win the title. 

Ahead of the National Bank Open in Montreal, where she was runner-up in 2018, Stephens sat down with usta.com for a Q&A where she shared her thoughts on her season so far, the unique relationship she shares with King, and what she hopes to see when she returns to the site of her greatest career triumph in a few weeks. 

Q: Sloane, welcome back to Montreal. How are you feeling physically? Having taken a little time off after Wimbledon, you came back last week in San Jose [reaching the second round], so where where do you feel you're at right now?

Sloane Stephens: I'm getting back and happy to be playing again. I'm taking it a day at a time, but hoping to ramp it up through this year's Series and be ready for the US Open.

Q: The last time you were in Montreal, you played Simona Halep in the final, in one of the best matches of the year in 2018. How do you feel coming back to a place where you've had success previously?

Sloane Stephens: I've spent a lot of time in Montreal. I've been here a bit and I really like it. It's really great to have fans here and be able to have people here. I think it's really awesome. It's a great stop every year on tour and it's great to be back. Obviously, [being] somewhere that I've had good results before is... always really nice. Everyone can say that they are just happy to be back here.

Q: Do you treat a tournament that you've done well in the past any differently than another tournament where you might not have had as much success?

Sloane Stephens: Every year is different, right? You could get a bad draw, you could get a great draw, and it just really depends. I think you just have to take every week, week-to-week. You have good feelings when you get to a tournament that you've done well at, but that's pretty much it.

Q: Speaking more broadly about hardcourts, you were very open about how you struggled and why you struggled earlier this year when then tour was last on the surface. Now that we're back on hard, how do you feel about your year to this point and moving forward?

Sloane Stephens: I feel like I'm in a much better place. Obviously, I'm playing better, winning more matches, being more consistent. Obviously, that's been tough through the pandemic, but I'm just happy to be able to be playing in a way where I see progress every week. I see [that I'm] going in the right direction.

That's really important to me, and I feel like when you can get into that space, a lot of good things happen and good results come. I'm happy to be in this position, to be able to just fight every week, be competitive and just go out there, give my best and see what happens.

Q: You're here with Darian King as your coach, and you've spoken about how you two have known each other for a long time and that the vibes are good. How has that partnership been for you so far?

Sloane Stephens: It's great. He's, literally, like a brother to me. We've known each other for the longest time. It takes a village and I have a lot of great people supporting me, whether it's doing traveling, working with me on the road. There are just a lot of parts to the puzzle, and I think for me, this is the best situation possible. I'm just trying to make it work. I'm trying to get wins out of it. I'm trying to make the most of every week, and that's all you can do.

Q: Do you have any specific goals for the summer or through the end of the year? What would a success be for you?

Sloane Stephens: No, just one match at a time, one day at a time, one tournament at a time. I'm not getting too ahead of myself. I just I need to go in, win matches and execute the best I can, and let the chips fall where they may.

Q: In your first match in Montreal, you're facing Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska. What are your thoughts on that match?

Sloane Stephens: I think it'll be a good match. Every match at this point is competitive. Everyone is kind of in the same boat. I'm just looking forward to going out there and doing my best and competing and trying to get a win out of it.

Q: Looking ahead to the US Open. As a former champion, what do you hope to see in New York this year with fans in the stands as opposed to last year?

Sloane Stephens: A different vibe. Fans in New York at the US Open are what it's all about. It's one of the best sporting events in the whole world, so it'll be great to have that back. The atmosphere will be amazing. I think at a Grand Slam, having fans is incredible, and that's what kind of makes it. As an American, [I'm] looking forward to having the American crowds there. People cheering you on, it really gives you something to look forward to.