Sloane Stephens might not be performing at an all-time high on the WTA, but she is dripping in swagger outside of the courts. The American sensation has been plagued by a drop in form, a noteworthy concern for someone who lifted the US Open title in 2017. While her on-court adventures fail to navigate past troubled waters, life outside the tour hasn’t been much of a disappointment; otherwise, her counterparts wouldn’t hype her baselessly.

The former World No. 3 has been on a losing streak dating back to Wimbledon. Stephens’ American hardcourt swing was far less than ideal, as she failed to capitalize on her strengths and endured opening-round losses at the Citi Open, Canadian Open, US Open, and the Guadalajara Open. Her most recent performance in Korea bore no fruition as she was sent packing in the Round of 32. Although she has enjoyed modest success in the doubles category, fans have repeatedly expressed concerns surrounding her fallen formidability.

However, those troubles lowkey took a backseat after Stephens flaunted her ravishing outing; eliciting Frances Tiafoe‘s girlfriend Ayan Broomfield, and Taylor Townsend to voice their major fangirl moments. Taking to her Instagram, the 31-year-old posted a string of photos wherein she was seen spending quality time with her husband and soccer star Jozy Altidore and rapper Saweetie, among others. Awe-struck with her outing, Townsend commented: “Sooooo gorggg!! Them dimples gone hit every time”. Canadian player Broomfield wasn’t far behind. She expressed fulfillment in watching the American star enjoying her outing saying “This is a slay.”

Despite enduring a title deficit, Stephens committed to ending her career with a bang; precisely, another Grand Slam crown. While talking to ‘USA Today’, she said “If I win a Grand Slam, I’m never playing tennis again. That would be the last—I’ll be like, ‘I’ll see you guys never.’ I’m out”, however, recent troubles have caught her in a jam. Naturally, she did not shy from voicing alarming issues within the WTA that have seemingly led to her bad performance streak.

Sloane Stephens expands on overwhelming participation pressure from WTA

American superstar Sloane Stephens is one of the many players who have voiced concerns surrounding the tour’s hectic and year-long overwhelming schedule. While top players like Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz lamented the ‘jam-packed’ calendar, Stephens highlighted how the Tour forces players to compete, even if they’re not 100% on par with their mental and physical state.

During an episode on the ‘Tennis Insider Club’, Stephens highlighted a major issue within the ATP and WTA: “One of the problems with both Tours, ATP and WTA, is that you are forced to play even when you are probably not in the best mental state or physical shape. Or you might be injured, and you just show up because that’s what you’re supposed to do. I think that’s probably set people back more than anything. Not having the freedom or independence to be like ‘Hey, let me make this decision.'”

For now, Stephens has no outstanding commitments on her touring calendar. Owing to her dropped success rate, she failed to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh. She will likely return to the courts in 2025, marking her attendance in the Australian hardcourt swing eventually leading to the Melbourne Slam.