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Sloane Stephens enters the US Open with new perspective four years after storybook ending

Stephens competes at the National Bank Open in August. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

When Sloane Stephens walks out of the tunnel at Arthur Ashe Stadium for her opening match of the US Open, it will be understandable if she has déjà vu. Four years ago, Stephens won the tournament with a straight-set victory over Madison Keys, her first-round opponent Monday.

Stephens’ unprecedented run to the trophy in 2017, in which she became the lowest-ranked US Open champion ever, remains her only Grand Slam title. She reached a career-best No. 3 world ranking the following year after winning the Miami Open and finishing as runner-up at the French Open.

Since then, Stephens has had mixed results.

Her form started to slip in 2019 and this year she fell out of the top 60 for the first time since before the 2017 US Open. Stephens has also had to cope with tragedy after losing an aunt, a grandmother and a grandfather to COVID-19 in the past year. She attended her grandparents’ funerals virtually from the bubble at the Australian Open in February and later said she regretted not going in person.

Stephens, 28, enters the US Open this week with a clearer mind. She has played better since the Australian Open and prioritized her mental health through the adversity. For Stephens, the last Grand Slam of the year also carries special meaning.

“It’s obviously the first Slam that I won,” she said. “And when I was 12, my mom and stepdad took me to the US Open. I have those experiences from when I was very young, and I think that’s what makes it so special.”

Stephens spoke with Just Women’s Sports about Naomi Osaka reigniting the conversation around mental health, her charity work off the court and what she’s learned about herself and her game since 2017.

The past year has brought several ups and downs, but you’ve had some good finishes at recent tournaments including making it to the fourth round of the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon. How do you feel about your game right now?

Good. Obviously the pandemic has been rough, and the point situations and the travel have been rough, and everything’s been difficult not just for me but for everyone. So getting matches every week and getting that confidence back is super helpful. I’m not where I was or where I want to be, but I think I’m headed in the right direction. So I’m happy with that, and I’m just trying to work through it, manage every day and just keep going.

I saw you recently changed coaches. What has that setup been like and what have you been working on with them?

I stopped working with Kamau Murray, but I kind of work with the same people. It’s always a different experience working with new people and so far, so good. I’m just trying to get into a space where I can be competitive and win matches again and be happy on the court. I think that’s the most important thing.

You were recovering from a knee injury this summer after a fall at Wimbledon. How has that recovery gone and how are you feeling physically?

The recovery went well. Obviously not enough time, but this is the most important time of the year. So I’m just trying to manage and make sure that I’m ready for the biggest tournament, which is the US Open, but also making sure that these next few weeks I put out good performances and good matches and am really competitive because this is the most important time.

You’ve dealt with injuries throughout your career and battled back from many different types of adversity. As you’ve gained experience from being on tour longer, have you learned to cope with those types of ups and downs better?

Yeah, we’re doing a lot of adjusting and coping. I would say the pandemic isn’t the hardest thing I’ve ever dealt with in my career, but injury is like nothing compared to this. Injuries you can kind of put in perspective, like you know what you’re working for, you know what you have to do to get back and you know what it’s going to take. In the pandemic, you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know if the tour’s going to stop again. You don’t know what the circumstances are going to be week in and week out. So I think being injured is tough, but I’ve definitely put it in perspective more. I’ve dealt with it a lot in my career, but nothing compares to obviously a pandemic.

Since Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open and Wimbledon for mental health reasons, how has her message resonated with you and how important do you think it is that mental health has become part of the conversation?

Yeah, I’ve been talking about mental health and taking care of yourself for years now. And I think she was the perfect person to step up for herself when the time wasn’t right for her and to say what she needed to say. I think you have to support that and you have to applaud her because she did that when a lot of people wouldn’t, and I think that shows strength. She chose what was best for her and a lot of people didn’t like that. This pandemic has taught a lot of people that you do have to put yourself first and you have to choose yourself over making other people happy and making decisions based on what other people think. That’s just my personal experience, so I’m obviously happy to be around to see her strength and her will to do what is best for her.

It’s especially true in tennis because the schedule is so grueling during the year. Have you developed any tactics over the years to help with your own mental health?

Yeah, I do what’s best for me and I have been for a while. Obviously everyone is different and they handle everything differently. I have my own ways of coping to make sure that I’m in the best possible shape and form. It’s not easy, but I think that acknowledging whatever it is that you need to make sure that you feel good about yourself or feel good about what you’re doing is really important, with whatever method you use to determine that.

You’ve been on the WTA Player Council since 2019. Are you having more conversations about mental health now with the group?

I think it’s always been something that’s at the top of the list for everyone. We have a grueling schedule, it’s a long year, we’ve never been in a position where we’ve had to adjust to so many things and face so much adversity. The pandemic has put everything in perspective and it’s a different type of adjustment. So, being able to put this first and put the players first and put the group of players that really are struggling first, I think that’s been really important. We’ve discussed it a lot, we’ve kept it top of mind, and I think that’s the most important thing.

And speaking of lifting other people up, you’ve done a lot of work off the court with the Sloane Stephens Foundation and other charities in recent years. What have you been most proud of there and why is it so important to you?

When I started my foundation, it was more about giving the kids the opportunity through tennis and through education to see all of the possibilities and all of the goals and accomplishments you can reach. We’re based in the Compton Unified [School District], so a lot of our kids don’t have Internet, don’t have WiFi, don’t have computers, don’t have any access to keep up with their studies. They don’t have any tutors or they don’t have the necessary things that a lot of kids have access to. So for us over the pandemic, the most important part was making sure that our kids that were in our program not only had WiFi, but they had food to eat.

A lot of our families struggled with having meals. My mom was buying bulk food from Costco to take to our families. We don’t have that many kids, we don’t have 7,000 kids, but we have enough that we can make progress. And our girls that graduated high school this year that are going to four-year colleges, first-generation college students, that for us is a win. What we’ve done over the pandemic, it’s just been really great to see that through my tennis and the things that I’ve been able to do in my life and the things that I’ve been given in my life, I can give that back and be of help and assistance to another family who may need it. I think that’s what giving back is all about.

You were also a part of a WTA panel for young girls exploring future careers. Based on your own experiences, what was your message to those girls?

Put yourself first. There are always going to be ups and downs, but I think it’s important to be able to manage day-to-day. Like, have fun, enjoy your life, enjoy playing tennis, enjoy learning, enjoy whatever it is that you’re doing, because life is too short to not be happy. I think at a young age, when you have that mindset of enjoying yourself, being productive and setting a goal and going out and getting it, that determines how you live and how you choose to execute whatever it is on a daily basis. That’s what I try to tell them.

It’s been four years since you won the US Open. What have you learned about yourself as a player and a person since then?

I think a lot has happened. As a person, I’ve developed, I’ve learned, I’ve grown. As a player, there’s been adversity and ups and downs, but I try to navigate it as best I can and have a good attitude about it. That’s really all you can do.

You said at the beginning you’re feeling pretty good about your game right now. What are your goals going into the US Open?

Just winning matches, being competitive, trying to do my best. It’s been a long season and it’s been very hectic and chaotic. So I think going into every tournament ready to play and looking for wins is what the goal is. That’s pretty much all I can ask of myself, just to give my best effort and see how it goes.

Georgia Makes Track and Field History with First NCAA Championship Win

Georgia track runner Dejanea Oakley competes in the 400-meter semifinals at the 2025 NCAA Track & Field Championships.
The Georgia Bulldogs won their first-ever NCAA outdoor track and field championship this weekend. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Georgia outdoor track and field won their first-ever NCAA championship in style this weekend, finishing the four-day meet with a dominant 73 points to claim the team title by a massive margin of 26 points on Saturday.

Snagging podium finishes with 47 and 43 points, respectively, were silver medalists USC and bronze winners Texas A&M.

The Bulldogs proved impossible to beat, boasting individual champions in the 400-meter dash (junior Aaliyah Butler), the high jump (senior Elena Kulichenko), the hammer throw (grad student Stephanie Ratcliffe) and the 4×400-meter relay — more individual titles than any other school at the meet.

The winning relay team of freshman Michelle Smith, sophomore Sydney Harris, and juniors Butler and Dejanea Oakley particularly impressed, with three of the four taking individual podium spots as well.

Butler — a 2024 US Olympic gold medalist in the 4×400-meter relay — led the aforementioned 400-meter dash, with teammate Oakley securing second-place just behind her.

Meanwhile, Smith bagged bronze in the 400-meter hurdles.

Georgia head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert, who previously led three-time champion USC to the Trojans' 2018 and 2021 NCAA titles, is now the only woman to coach two different schools to an outdoor track and field national championship.

"I love these kids. They teach me more about me than I teach them about anything," said an emotional Smith Gilbert during the trophy ceremony. "They worked so hard, and they believed in themselves, and we did it."

Michigan senior Savannah Sutherland leaps over a hurdle in the 400-meter hurdles final at the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Savannah Sutherland broke USA star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's NCAA record. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Trio of NCAA records crumble at championship meet

While first-time champion Georgia was making team program history, a trio of NCAA women were busy shattering national track and field records this weekend.

First, Washington sophomore Hana Moll became the national pole vault champion with a new NCAA record leap of 4.79 meters on Thursday.

Notably, this was the third time this season that the collegiate pole vault mark was cleared by a Huskie, with Moll's twin sister Amanda breaking the record twice last month.

Then on Saturday, two records fell, with Alabama sophomore Doris Lemngole earning her second straight 3,000-meter steeplechase title in 8:58.15 — the fastest time in NCAA history.

Michigan senior Savannah Sutherland, a 2024 Olympian for Team Canada, closed out the 2025 NCAA record-breaking by dethroning a legend, smashing the 400-meter hurdles mark previously held by now-two-time Olympic individual champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Sutherland's 52.46-second race was 0.29 seconds below McLaughlin-Levrone's collegiate record — and a full 0.8 seconds below Sutherland's own personal best.

Five-Match Winning Streak Keeps Kansas City Atop NWSL Standings

Kansas City striker Temwa Chawinga and head coach Vlatko Andonovski high-five after a 2025 NWSL victory.
Kansas City striker Temwa Chawinga sealed the Saturday win for the Current with her eighth goal of the 2025 NWSL season. (Eric Thomas/NWSL via Getty Images)

The Kansas City Current continues to hold court atop the NWSL standings, earning their fifth straight win after a brief two-game skid by defeating No. 7 Racing Louisville 4-2 on Saturday.

The Current pounced early, going up 3-0 ahead of the match's 20-minute mark before sealing the win with a second-half stoppage-time goal from star striker Temwa Chawinga.

KC is currently winning the race to stay ahead of 2024 Shield-winner and champions Orlando, who won their third straight match after a second-half dagger by Barbra Banda lifted the No. 2 Pride over No. 9 Bay FC 1-0 on Friday.

Elsewhere, the San Diego Wave regained their grip on third place with Friday's 3-2 victory over the No. 12 Houston Dash, while the No. 5 Portland Thorns began to encroach on Washington's fourth-place standing with a 2-0 win over the Spirit on Sunday.

The top four teams weren't the only ones moving this weekend, as Gotham earned their first regular-season points since early May with Friday's 3-0 win over the last-place Utah Royals — despite two red card offenses limiting their late-game on-field roster to nine.

Along with boosting the Bats back above the playoff line into eighth place, the victory saw NY/NJ forward Esther pull ahead of Chawinga and Banda in the 2025 Golden Boot race, with her two-goal showing putting the Spanish national at nine goals on the season.

While no team is immune to the midseason blues, this weekend's widening eight-point gap between first and fourth place on the table is separating the contenders from the pretenders.

Caitlin Clark Return Fuels Fever Win Over Formerly Unbeaten Liberty

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark celebrates a play during a 2025 WNBA game.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark scored 32 points to hand the New York Liberty their first loss of 2025. (A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images)

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark returned with a bang on Saturday, coming off a quad strain to score 32 points and hand the reigning champion New York Liberty their first loss of the 2025 season.

Despite Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s game-leading 34 points, the Fever guard finished the 102-88 victory having contributed to 54 of her team's overall points as either a passer or a shooter, notching nine assists and eight rebounds while sinking 50% from behind the arc.

"Don't we always expect that kind of game from Caitlin?" Fever head coach Stephanie White asked after beating the Liberty.

Despite filling some key roster gaps over the offseason, the dreams of an Indiana title run appear to hinge on Clark being healthy and available, with the Fever sputtering to a 2-3 record during her five-game absence.

"Emotionally, it's a relief, it's a lift," White said. "This group, they stay together. They draw strength from one another; I draw strength from them. Every single day we take one step forward together, we're building trust."

Angel Reese scores career-first triple-double

Clark's fellow 2024 draftee Angel Reese also hit a milestone this weekend, becoming the second-youngest player to ever record a triple-double, notching the first of her WNBA career in the Chicago Sky's 78-66 win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.

"I think some of the best players in the world, if their shot is not falling, they try to find other ways to get the team together and stay involved," Reese said afterwards. "I'm just super excited, and then to add it with a win just feels really good."

With 2025 WNBA All-Star voting officially underway, this stretch of the season gives individual standouts even more incentive to step into the spotlight and shine.

The Atlanta Dream Ascends the WNBA Standings Behind Record Performances

Washington's Sug Sutton tries to defend as the Atlanta Dream's Jordin Canada drives to the basket during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Atlanta Dream have won their last three games by an average of 23.6 points. (Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images)

The third-place Atlanta Dream are storming up the WNBA standings, winning their last three games by an average margin of 23.6 points after routing the Washington Mystics 89-56 on Sunday.

Atlanta guard Rhyne Howard opened the weekend by tying the WNBA record for three-pointers made in a single game, recording nine baskets from behind the arc as the Dream took down the Chicago Sky 88-70 on Friday.

Offseason pick-up Brittney Griner has also been busy, passing WNBA legend Lisa Leslie for No. 2 on the league's all-time career blocks list following this weekend's Atlanta victories.

While the Dream have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, a few key roster additions plus a new coaching hire have Atlanta entertaining a shot at a first-ever championship bid.

The momentum shift has largely been on offense, with the Dream hitting a franchise-record 18 three-pointers while guard Allisha Gray put up a career-high 32 points on Sunday.

Also quietly climbing the WNBA's ranks is the only other team currently on a three-game winning streak, the Golden State Valkyries.

Bolstered by a 76-70 Saturday win over the always-dangerous Seattle Storm, the 2025 expansion side secured a 5-5 season record to claim sixth place on the league table this weekend.

How to watch the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday

Nearly the entire league is in action on Tuesday, as 12 of the 13 teams will face off on WNBA courts.

The Dream will have their work cut out for them as they face the 2024 champion Liberty at 7 PM ET, taking on a New York side eager to bounce back from their first 2025 loss.

As for the Valkyries, Golden State will visit Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings at 8 PM ET.

Both games will air live on WNBA League Pass.

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