Before she became a French Open finalist and defeated Venus Williams en route to her title finish at the US Open, Sloane Stephens had her foot strapped to a boot. Sounds rather precautionary, doesn’t it? The truth is, she had been navigating hot waters. Stephens went on a 10-month injury hiatus from the tour after losing to Eugenie Bouchard in the opening round of the Rio Olympics in 2016. A few months later, she disclosed she was struggling with a stress fracture and even underwent left foot surgery. Despite recording a valiant comeback thereafter that saw her lift her maiden Slam in New York, the 31-year-old doesn’t seem to rid herself of the injury slump. Now, it’s taken a toll on her Indian Wells campaign.

On Saturday, March 8, Stephens took to social media to reveal that she was suffering from a right leg injury that would keep her from playing in the BNP Paribas Open. The American’s absence means she will have to endure a downward slide in the WTA rankings. She was granted a wildcard for the Masters 1000 event and was slated to lock horns with former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

“Got a little boo-boo on my foot again 💔 Setbacks are never easy—physically or emotionally—but I trust the universe to guide me in the right direction. Still waking up grateful every day 🙏🏾 I’ll do my best to get back on the court soon! Thank you for all the love and encouragement. love you the most,” read her emotional message on Instagram.

It’s been a rough run for Stephens. She is currently on a 10-match losing streak dating back to July 2024, when she last won a singles match at Wimbledon against Elsa Jacquemot. Ranked No. 69, the former World No. 3 has lost each of her singles commitments in the opening round this year – with premature exits recorded in Auckland, Melbourne, and Mexico.

In the doubles category, however, Stephens managed to reach as far as the semifinal at the ASB Classic alongside Clara Tauson. But that simply doesn’t cut it. With little to nothing to show for the past few months, the American player is in a fix. Regardless, she seems to maintain an optimistic approach for the future.

After her infamous lay-off in 2016, Stephens dedicated her free time to doing good for the community. When she couldn’t put both feet down on the ground, the American got her foundation to help her stay upbeat. “When I was injured, no one cared what I was doing and had no interest in me whatsoever,” Stephens said previously. “I worked on my foundation every day.”

However, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t faced backlash over her poor run in recent months.

Sloane Stephens claps back at naysayers, saying she ‘won’t leave her job’

It wasn’t long before Sloane Stephens was surrounded by acute backlash from fans due to her dropped success rate in the last eight months. With no singles win under her belt in that duration, fans had a go at the 31-year-old, in January saying she was performing “just for the prize money.”

Things escalated quickly after she lost her opener to Ann Li at the ASB Classic. Following her rival’s comeback victory, Stephens addressed the harsh comments with a solid response, highlighting that she wouldn’t back down from a fight. “It’s all about what the athlete can handle, right? ‘You should retire?’ I’m like, ‘If these people are still paying me, I’m not going.’ I think people don’t realize that if someone was paying you a lot of money, you wouldn’t quit your job. You wouldn’t leave your job.” 

For now, recovery seems to be her only option. If things go according to plan, Stephens could likely use this break to find her old mojo and get back to winning like the old days. Are you backing Sloane Stephens to win a title this season?