(August 31, 2026) FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – Last year, the 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens was on the sidelines with an injury. This year, entering the tournament with a wild card, the 33-year-old American defeated top-12 player Clara Tauson of Denmark on Monday, 6-4, 6-1, to reach the second round of the US Open.
“Claire’s a great player,” Stephens said. “I knew it was gonna be tough, just because she hits really hard, and her ball speed is hard to deal with, but I think I had a pretty clear game plan on what I wanted to execute, and I just kind of stuck with that, even when, in the first set, when it was kind of ugly, but I managed to figure it out. I just executed well.”
“It takes a while to find your groove again and find the tennis you want to play and get back to where I wanted to be,” Stephens said to reporters. “And to finally be playing some really good tennis is always a good thing. But also, to be doing it in the U.S., in front of home crowds — it’s incredibly special.”
Coming back to where she has had her biggest success in winning a major brings back feelings and emotions.
“It’s really fulfilling and exciting to be able to go back to a place where I’ve played some of my best tennis,” she said. “As an American playing the US Open swing (tournaments leading up to the Open), when you’re having good results, there’s … no better feeling…no better crowds to play in front of.”
Stephens comes in not necessarily with the same hope and dreams of winning another major after recovering from foot injuries over the years, but is moving back up the rankings.
“Definitely approaching it differently,” said the former World No. 3. “I’m definitely mover of the week every single week. If you guys didn’t know, just getting my right kick back. So, I think at some point, yeah, that’s definitely the goal, but for now, I think just, like, executing really well. Like I’ve had a good summer compared to what it’s been in the past. So, um, I’m happy with, like, my results, like, happy with a good one today.”
“So it’s been a bumpy comeback. been an eventful comeback, but I think, for the most part, um, the goals are evolving, and as my ranking goes up and, like, I get more wins and more confidence, it feels a little different.”
Stephens has even dropped down to the Challenger level to get her form back and collect ranking points.
“Last year when I broke my other foot, they were like, you’re probably not gonna play again. So I kind of, like, came to grips with like, okay, it’s not ever gonna be what I would like it to be. I would love to be back in the top 10 and, like, all these things, but, like, with the fractured foot, is that gonna be possible? Probably not. So I think I’m very realistic, but I’m also really happy that I can be paying free and like play and compete. And I think I want to take that as far as my body will let me. And I think I’ve been able to manage the emotions of that well, and just not let it get to, like, I have to beat so and so. I have to do all these things because that’s just not where I’m at. But I’m happy to compete as hard as I can and, like, try to see what my best ranking or whatever it can be at this point in my career.”
Stephens, who is working toward completing a PhD, is focusing on her “side stuff,” which is the charity she established as a 20-year-old. On Sunday, she received the United States Tennis Association Foundation’s Serving Up Dreams Award for her philanthropic work. The award recognizes people who advance the foundation’s mission of using tennis, education, and mentorship to help young people from under-resourced communities.
“Full transparency, the only reason I’m playing is because my foundation kids were here today. The only reason I’m flying is because in 2027, they will be going to Australian Open, and most of our kids have not left the state, and they will be leaving the continent, and I’m fucking pumped. So, like, it might not be because I am, like, I’m gonna be number one in the world, but I feel like my desire and my passion to use tennis and to play and compete is still there because I have a reason and I have motivation, and that’s just kind of how I see it. Like, obviously, the beginning of my career was very different. It was, like, I want to run a slam. I wanna do this, I wanna do that. And I just think my motivation for why I want to be on the court is different, so it just looks a little different. But in my heart, it feels good for me.”
Sloane Stephens Honored with the USTA Foundation’s Serving Up Dreams Award at USTA Foundation Gala
