Ever since the US Open organizers unveiled the schedule for the opening days of the final Grand Slam of 2024, the tennis community has been abuzz with speculation. More specifically, the schedule for matches on the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Could fans possibly witness two farewell matches on Monday, one of which would feature Sloane Stephens?

For quite some time now, the tennis world has known that this is Dominic Thiem’s last season on tour. The Austrian announced it before the French Open. While neither Roland Garros nor Wimbledon gave him a wildcard, the US Open ensured it gave its 2020 champion a fitting farewell – a wildcard and the first match on Arthur Ashe. But what caught most fans’ attention was the match following his encounter with Ben Shelton.

Defending champion Coco Gauff will be taking on Varvara Gracheva five hours before Sloane Stephens locks horns against Clara Burel in the first round. And opens the night session for this year’s US Open. Now, it’s no secret that night sessions usually have a higher audience turnout, considering matches happen after work hours. More people tune in to watch the telecast for the same reason, too. After the past 12 months that Gauff has had, most assumed that she’d be the one opening the night session. But that wasn’t the case.

2023 was Coco Gauff’s time to shine on home soil, first in Cincinnati and then in New York, where the then-19-year-old player won her first Grand Slam. This year, despite being the defending champion, she’ll have to settle for the second match on Arthur Ashe. Following Sloane Stephens’ match, the men’s defending champion, Novak Djokovic, will take center stage. But let’s break down this schedule.

Last year, Coco Gauff played all seven of her singles matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium, including the opening night match. Of the seven, four were night matches, and the then-19-year-old won three of them in three sets. The semifinal (against Karolina Muchova) was the only night session match Gauff played that didn’t go the distance.

As for the three matches she played in the morning session, the World No. 3 won two of them in straight sets (and quite comfortably): –

• Second Round: Gauff def. Mirra Andreeva, 6-3, 6-2
• Quarterfinal: Gauff def. Jelena Ostapenko, 6-0, 6-2

So, it can be argued that Coco Gauff prefers the morning session over the night session despite there being more support at night. But could there be more to the story as to why Sloane Stephens – the 2017 champion – got the opening night session over the 20-year-old this year? Could this be the speculated last tribute to Stephens in New York?

While many couldn’t wrap their heads around why the organizers would do this, they reached different conclusions, with some referring to Stephens’ potential retirement after the season!

Fans speculate Sloane Stephens “must be retiring” after seeing US Open’s schedule

The former World No. 3 first entered the professional world of tennis in 2009. And after 15 years of grinding on the WTA circuit, the American player, who once caught the attention of fans by defeating Serena Williams in the 2013 Australian Open, will probably play her last US Open tournament. For some fans, that’s the only way to justify the event’s organizers’ preference. “Sloane must be retiring? Why is she opening the night session?”

However, this justification did not prove to be very helpful for one fan who wrote, “I figured all of that, but I still wouldn’t have had Sloane opening Ashe. Maybe Armstrong.” The Arthur Ashe Stadium is the biggest tennis stadium in the world, let alone in just Flushing Meadows. But inside Flushing Meadows, the Louis Armstrong Stadium is next in line. Yes, Stephens is a former champion, but was giving her the opening night match justified? For many, it wasn’t.

The 31-year-old player is not enjoying a fruitful time in tennis, with back-to-back opening-round defeats in Washington and Canada being the latest example. Moreover, since winning the Open de Rouen in April, Stephens has yet to make it to a final, casting doubts on her upcoming form in New York.

Echoing a similar emotion, one user wrote, “Cause why else is she playing the night session??💀” At one point, Sloane Stephens was one of the best American female players on tour. While her form has dropped in the past few years, she’s still a widely renowned name in the American tennis community. That would explain why she gets preferential treatment, especially if this is, in fact, her final US Open.

During an episode of ‘Cinema Sessions with Sloane Stephens,’ the 31-year-old once 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.” But that’s the thing about winning. Once you do it, you want more. So, Stephens kept coming back, and now that she’s opening the night session, fans continued the theories regarding her retirement: “I mean, the thought absolutely crossed my mind.”

If one takes an example of Stephens’ performance last year, she crashed out in the first round, playing in the Louis Armstrong Stadium and falling short against Beatriz Haddad Maia. Therefore, the question of resurgence to the spotlight this season is leaving fans puzzled.

As a result, referring to her retirement, when one fan wrote, “There’s no other justification for that decision,” it made sense to fans. A year ago, Stephens said, “Obviously, I’m getting older. I’m 30…. I just think that I’ve got a lot of tennis [left], and I think that’s a good goal [winning another Grand Slam event],” while talking about her French Open campaign for that year.

She concluded by saying, “It would be nice to finish on a good note.” And hopefully, she gets that when chooses to retire!