“People Think She’s So Friendly” – When Sloane Stephens Blasted Serena Williams

It’s not easy being an upcoming female tennis star in the USA. When you achieve even a little success, comparisons with the legend Serena Williams are almost certain to follow. Obviously, many crumble under this pressure and aren’t able to fill those big shoes. One of those young girls who was once heavily touted as a successor to Serena was Sloane Stephens.

The 2017 US Open champion saw her first stint with success at the 2013 Australian Open when she upset Serena. Her African-American heritage meant that the media was all over her. They had the story right in front of them with a young star ready to take the mantle from an aging legend. Even though Sloane would later be described as a flash in the pan by many, that brief period led to her making some major headlines with Serena Williams.

Before the tournament, Sloane had called Serena her mentor. However, things drastically changed after her victory. Serena posted a cryptic tweet which said: “I made you”. Many considered this as a dig at the young star and criticized Serena. Things would take an ugly turn when Sloane decided to retaliate.

She gave an interview to ESPN- The Magazine where she clarified that her relationship with Serena was no longer the same. In fact, she was shocked by the way she was being treated by her idol. Let’s find out what Sloane Stephens said about her mentor Serena Williams.

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What did Sloane Stephens say about Serena Williams? 

Sloane Stephens revealed that Serena had been rude to her ever since she beat her. Stephens thought of this behavior as arrogant on Serena’s part.

“She’s not said one word to me, not spoken to me, not said hi, not looked my way, not been in the same room with me since I played her in Australia,” Stephens said emphatically. “And that should tell everyone something, how she went from saying all these nice things about me to unfollowing me on Twitter.”

Sloane continued her rant, describing how Serena was nothing like what people thought of her. Sloane stressed that Serena was, in fact, much different.

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“Like, seriously! People should know. They think she’s so friendly and she’s so this and she’s so that — no, that’s not reality! You don’t unfollow someone on Twitter, delete them off of BlackBerry Messenger. I mean, what for? Why?”

This was considered a bold move by the then-young Sloane Stephens. The last thing you need so early on in your career is animosity with Serena Williams. It seems that the two mended their relationship afterward. They are certainly on talking terms now, with Sloane revealing that they talk about stuff that is not related to tennis. The two stars are certainly the pride of the USA and it would have been a shame if they’d continued to dislike each other.