Thirty-year-old American WTA star Sloane Stephens has always been vocal about stress management and protecting the mental health of athletes. She has openly talked about her mental health struggles and how significant it is for any athlete to prioritize their mental and emotional well-being. Thanks to renowned names from the sporting world, including gymnast Simone Biles and tennis stars Sloane Stephens and Naomi Osaka, the mental well-being of athletes is finally getting the attention it deserves. At the ongoing French Open, Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka decided to pull out from the traditional post-match press conference after her third-round victory, citing mental health concerns.

In the wake of this, Stephens has come out in support of the Belarusian, reiterating her stand of prioritizing mental well-being for all athletes.

Sloane Stephens makes her support known for Aryna Sabalenka

Reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka made it to the fourth round of Roland Garros for the first time in her career after a convincing 6-2, 6-2 round 3 victory against Kamilla Rakhimova. However, she skipped the usual post-match press conference, alluding to concerns regarding her mental health.

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The 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens was asked to shed some light on her thoughts regarding the issue.

She stood in favor of the current world number 2, saying, “Yeah, I think everyone should feel safe and comfortable in their press, and I feel like if that’s not the case, then it was right for her to remove herself and do what’s best for her… If she doesn’t feel safe, then she doesn’t need to be there. That’s the end of that.”

Sabalenka was allowed to skip her post-match media interaction after she claimed that she did not feel safe during her past press conferences at the French Open. Aryna Sabalenka and Sloane Stephens are slated to meet each other at the fourth round of Roland Garros.

Questions on the war in Ukraine keep haunting Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka’s Belarusian identity seemed to have become the main focal point of her post-match press interactions. Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands or participate in a pre-match photoshoot with Sabalenka during their first-round encounter at Roland Garros. Following this, Sabalenka was quizzed about her stance on the war in Ukraine at her post-match press conference. Despite making it clear that no Belarusian or Russian athlete supports the war, questions about the issue kept coming her way at the press meet after her round 2 victory.

According to Aryna Sabalenka, her choice of pulling out from the post-match media interactions was supported by the French Open officials and the WTA. Support from her fourth-round opponent Sloane Stephens will surely help the Belarusian put these issues behind her and focus on the tournament ahead.

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