“A part-time tennis player at this point”: Fans brutally react to Sloane Stephens' slump

Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens continues to plummet after suffering her 10th consecutive loss, dropping to No. 115—her worst ranking in eight years. The American was once hailed as the ‘next Serena Williams’ after winning her maiden Grand Slam at 24 years old.

However, her level has progressively declined since then. She reached the French Open final in 2018—losing to Simona Halep—and made three more Grand Slam quarterfinals.

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For several seasons, she hovered between No. 40 and No. 70 but never regained her place among the sport’s elite. Meanwhile, players like Halep, Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka, and Ashleigh Barty remained at the top, while Stephens gradually faded.

Since defeating Madison Keys in the memorable all-American 2017 US Open final, Stephens has reached six WTA finals—winning three titles, the last of which came on the clay courts of the Rouen Open in April 2024. That was her last notable tournament run.

Sloane Stephens defeated her close friend Madison Keys in the 2017 US Open final 6-3, 6-0.

The American returned to action this week at the Mérida Open but fell to Croatia’s Petra Martic 2-6, 3-6. She is now on a 10-match losing streak, with a dismal 4-17 record since her last WTA 250 title. Her most recent victory came in the first round of Wimbledon 2024 against Elsa Jacquemot. When counting sets, she has won only 20 out of 22 played.

Between 2012 and early 2025, Stephens has only fallen out of the top 100 once, and that was due to an injury in 2017 that sidelined her for nearly eight weeks, dropping her ranking to No. 957. However, just weeks later, she stunned the tennis world by winning her first Grand Slam title at the US Open.

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Many fans took to social media to react to another Stephens defeat. At 31, she is still at an age where she could remain competitive—there are currently 10 players over 30 ranked inside the top 40. In fact, her compatriots Jessica Pegula (No. 4), Madison Keys (No. 5), and Danielle Collins (No. 14) have all turned 30. Keys even won her first Grand Slam title just last month.

However, Stephens’ poor results have sparked backlash from fans, with some even suggesting it’s time for her to retire:  “Sloane Stephens has been broken in her first four service games. Folks… why hasn’t she retired? This is laughable,” posted a user on X.

“Omg, Stephens, girl, just retire and focus on that podcast, lmao,” another added.

“Stephens is a part-time tennis player at this point.”

“Sloane won that Slam and has just been collecting checks and steaks since.”

Check out more fan reactions below.

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