"Winning breeds winning": Sloane Stephens eyes a comeback season ahead of Australian Open debut

Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens spoke about her big ambitions ahead of her Australian Open debut. Currently outside the top 1,000, the American used her protected ranking to enter qualifying – and despite arriving with a particularly negative streak, she managed to secure her spot in the main draw.

Stephens had not won a match since Wimbledon 2024, after which she entered a negative streak – plagued by injuries and adverse results that kept her off the courts for much of 2025. She endured 13 consecutive defeats before tasting victory again.

And she did it just in time, with consecutive wins in the Australian Open qualifiers, earning the right to return to the main draw of the Happy Slam for the 14th time in her career. The former semifinalist had not won three consecutive matches since claiming the title in Rouen 2024 – around April of that year on clay courts – a period that now feels distant after a long stretch of poor results.

"It’s interesting when you win three matches and the tournament hasn't even started yet," Stephens told LiveSports after qualifying for the main draw. "I'm happy with where I'm at. Obviously there's a long way to go since I'm on that protected ranking, but I feel there's plenty of good tennis left. It's exciting for me."

The American defeated Barbora Palicova, Olivia Gadecki, and second seed Lucia Bronzetti consecutively, earning her place in the main draw. There, she will face another highly successful player looking to regain form: former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, returning to a Grand Slam main draw for the first time since the 2024 US Open.

For Stephens – a former Grand Slam champion – the objectives at a major tournament are always high, even when arriving without much match rhythm and just starting to leave the negative streak behind. "It's always nice to do well enough to make the second week," she said. "In general I'm just happy to be playing again and be healthy. It was a big task to come here and play in qualifying as a former Grand Slam champion. A lot of pressure and a lot of stress but I think in general I'm happy with that."

The 32-year-old American aims at the Australian Open to build a good form that allows her to recover her level in the coming months and compete again against the world’s best in the future. "It's another stepping stone to getting better and getting back on track and getting my ranking back," she stated.

Stephens recalled the context of her triumph at the 2017 US Open – where she defeated her friend Madison Keys – the current Australian Open champion – in the final. At that time, almost ten years ago, Stephens arrived after a long period of inactivity that kept her off the courts from August 2016 to July 2017. Two months later, she became champion at Flushing Meadows against all odds.

When asked if she believes she could have another incredible Grand Slam run, the American did not hide her competitive desire to go far. "We hope! We need it. I think I would love to get back to the top of my game but it takes a lot of energy and a lot of effort and I think right now I'm nearly there," she said. "The tennis is good, I'm practising a lot, my body is good, everything is good. Fingers crossed for a great season and an injury-free season would be super helpful."

"Starting to put these wins together will be nice. Three wins in a row is always good and my coach always says ‘winning breeds winning’, so (in 2026 I'm hoping for) more winning on the tennis court, more winning in life, more winning for the foundation."

The American will debut this Tuesday against Pliskova – in a duel between two players who spent a long time in the top 5 and have faced each other multiple times before. The head-to-head is favorable for Stephens at 6–1 (2–0 on hard courts), although their last hard-court encounter dates back to the 2018 WTA Finals, more than seven years ago.