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BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 12, 2018

Sloane Stephens

Indian Wells, California

D. KASATKINA/S. Stephens

6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you just sort of go over the match? What do you think was the turning point of that match?
SLOANE STEPHENS: A tough day. Obviously she played well. Like I said yesterday, the courts suit her game pretty well.

She just played a better match than me today, and that happens sometimes.

Q. Turnaround any impact?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Nah.

Q. So it doesn't disrupt your routine when you have a game and it's all washed out and you have to play the next day and then two games in a row? You were the only one who got completely washed out on Saturday night.
SLOANE STEPHENS: Oh, well, I mean, these things happen. You play an outdoor sport and the weather can affect that sometimes. Last week in Acapulco, I played a singles match at 4:00 p.m. and played a doubles match at 11:15 p.m. in the same day, and then came back the next day and had to play another match.

So I think sometimes things like that will happen and you have to go with it. It's definitely no excuse. Like I said, she just played a better match today.

Q. When you analyze how you played here, is there anything that you can get confidence from? Anything that you're concerned about? How do you come out of this?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, I mean, obviously to get a win here. I played a really tough opponent in the first round, so that was good for me.

Obviously not my best tennis today, but fortunately we get to play every single week. So, yeah, I mean, not going to be too down about it. There's always next week and the week after.

There's always going to be another opportunity, so just kind of look forward to that, and that's all I really take away from it.

Q. How important do you think that long-term outlook is? Because I remember years ago here you losing a really tough match to Pennetta and you had that approach. I think at that time in your career people were giving you trouble because you weren't producing right then, but now you're a Grand Slam champion.
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, I mean, everyone is going to always critique anything that you say. There's going to be someone who's super intense about it and is up here crying. Sometimes they don't care at all. Like, there is always going to be people that are -- they have their own way of how they handle everything.

And that probably helped me then when I was, you know, big picture, long way to go, and obviously I won a Grand Slam. So it wasn't that bad.

But I think -- I mean, I'll be 25 next week and hopefully I can play another five years. And in those five years hopefully I can have another -- my agent is saying more (smiling).

Q. Only five?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I mean, if all goes well, you know, hopefully in that five years I'll win some more tournaments and hopefully, you know, do some other amazing things on and off the court. So this does not define how my career is going to end up.

Q. Roger is 36.
SLOANE STEPHENS: I'm definitely not playing that long (smiling). Definitely not.

Q. Why not?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Why not? Well, I mean, -- well, we'll see. I mean, Serena had a baby, and eventually I want to have a baby as well. So if she comes back and wins a couple more slams, maybe I will think about it. But I'm kind of just gauging it on how well she does and then we'll see.

Q. Are you going to watch that match tonight? Are you as interested as everybody else to see them in a third-round match?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, I'm sure it will be interesting. Right now I'm just looking forward to putting my feet up and getting, like, a cheeseburger or something.

Q. What are your plans schedule-wise from here on out?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Well, immediately I'm going to play in Miami and then Charleston, and then Stuttgart. Fed Cup is up in the air. But it's kind of the basic schedule, I guess, for everyone, really, the next couple of weeks. That's all I got for now.

Q. You played really well on clay in the past, and at some point it's been a favorite surface of yours. Do you have any goals for it this year?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah. I'd like to do better -- I mean, I love clay a lot, and I haven't had my best results there, but I'd like to get some good results obviously. I haven't played in Rome in, like, two years. Obviously missing Madrid. I missed everything last year.

So I think it will be a good opportunity to get, you know, back on the clay. And having not played on clay in a while, I'm looking forward to it. So hopefully I can get some good results there. That would be nice.

Q. After the high of winning a Grand Slam, is there a period you go through where you just kind of crash a little bit and you've got to pick yourself up again?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I wouldn't say it's a crash, but I think that there's a lot that comes with winning a Grand Slam, and I think there is a lot that comes with winning a Grand Slam as an American player.

Being in the first final that wasn't Venus and Serena in, like, the longest time ever -- I don't even know how long it was -- I think there was a lot that came with that.

I wouldn't say there was a crash, but obviously going to China after you win the US Open is not always going to be the funnest thing. So I think now I'm kind of getting back into it, and I'm just looking forward to playing again. And obviously being in the States is, you know, the fans are incredible and it's a good vibe. Just try to do my best.

Q. What's your cheeseburger of choice? Getting it tonight?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, probably just go to In-N-Out, get like a double-double with, like, cheese fries or something. If you're going to go bad, you might as well do it real bad. And probably a milkshake.

Q. Cheese fries? That must be on the secret menu.
SLOANE STEPHENS: No. You get Animal side but you just get cheese instead of the Animal Style.

Q. You know, somebody went and actually ordered all of the Secret Menu things. There's an article online. They're all trained so...
SLOANE STEPHENS: Really? I'll have to look it up. I love ordering things that aren't on the menu. People are, like, what is that? I'm like, Wouldn't you like to know.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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