The roar of the crowd, the sweat, and the spotlight—tennis is more than just a game! And Peyton Stearns is experiencing one such aspect of being a successful tennis player. But for her, it is one of the challenging ones! After a quarterfinal elimination from the Canadian Open at the hands of her compatriot, Jessica Pegula, Stearns is back on her home ground for a more spiced-up tennis performance in Cincinnati. However, before she could delve into the joy of playing with her racquet, the 22-year-old player is dealing with the demanding as a tennis celebrity.

Last year, Stearns failed to win the round of 64 match against Daria Kasatkina, leaving dejected and hoping to come back stronger the next season. Finally, the wait is over! As she inches closer to the first round, a new level of excitement and probably a bit of chaos have caught her attention. Speaking on the August 13th episode of WTA Insider Podcast, she opened up on the increasing pressures of tennis. When the host asked her whether playing in her home country is more “stressful,” or not, Stearns had a straightforward answer.

“Family and close friends they know that I am there almost working, it’s my job. But I make time for them. They come out and cheer. They know that before the match I cannot hang out, unfortunately, even when I am all there for the week. But my phone is blowing up like crazy,” the former world no. 43 said. Further elaborating on the persona troubles, she continued, “People are asking for tickets. Hey can I see you? Are you home? You know I have got to hit sometimes. I am not home all the time. It is fun because the spotlight is pretty strong.”

The first player to win the NCAA from the University of Texas, Stearns, has had her fair share of hardships regarding her rapid rise to fame. Talking about it a couple of years ago, she said, “Just dealing with stress and pressure playing No. 1 as a freshman a lot is expected of you. When I play these pro events, I know better how to handle it.“

In 2022, she turned pro and‌ in her first full season in 2023, Stearns rapidly climbed to the top 100 rankings. Be it in the ITF circuit (five singles and two doubles titles) or the WTA Tour (one singles title), her achievement speaks volumes about her talent. But with it came bigger responsibility: managing professional expectations and dealing with increased attention from fans. 

From her recent comments, it is clear that the struggle is not over for her. It seems that even after having a mixed season, fans are not giving up on their favorite player so soon and are expecting more from her! However, even then, when she feels an intense pressure, she confides in her WTA peer for some advice!

Peyton Stearns on Collins’ advice on dealing with “expectations”

In 2023, Peyton Stearns played 78 matches in total, showing her relentless pursuit of excellence on-court. According to her, it “built” the confidence that she needed to have a massive transformation from a college player to a professional tennis player. However, as the pressure of performing well built on her, it started to have a negative impact on her game.

Sadly, she couldn’t maintain that consistent level of playing matches and winning titles this year, which further demotivated her. “I’m not the new kid on the block anymore, but I think at the same time I was overanalyzing what my opponents knew about me instead of sticking to my strengths and just going for it, because if you hit a good enough shot, it’s gonna be a good shot anyway, even if they are expecting it,” she said in an interview.

But, thankfully, a heart-to-heart with Danielle Collins, an NCAA champion turned professional player, changed her outlook on the matter. Referring to that, she said, “I actually spoke with Danielle Collins yesterday during lunch and she talked to me and said, ‘Look, you don’t need to put this much pressure on yourself. You are new to this.” Embracing her newfound celebrity status, Stearns strives to find a balance in the chaos. And as she gives her best shots at Cincinnati, hopefully we will find her achieving more success in tennis!