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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 2, 2019

Sloane Stephens

Wimbledon, London, England

S. STEPHENS/T. Bacsinszky

6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk through the match today. How did you feel out there? How was the crowd? How was it to get the grass under your feet?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, I thought I played a good match. Obviously playing Timea is always really tricky because she plays a lot of slices and it's the kind of stuff that works well on the grass. It was going to be a tough match.

I just stuck with the game plan. I thought I played well from start to finish. A little bumpy at the end. Obviously not much you can do when someone plays with such variety.

I just hung in there. I was happy to get through at the end.

Q. For those who don't have a good reading on what goes into sustaining top-level tennis, the way you've played in the last couple of years, what would you say is most important to you in terms of work ethic and your regimen to sustain that?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I think a lot has happened in the last couple years since I started playing again, since I started playing again here, I think it was. I started my first tournament here in 2017. There's been a lot of ups and downs. It's been, like, a rocky road. A lot of times you don't see that. It's just what you see on the outside.

I think for myself keeping, like, a good routine, structure, making sure I'm happy, I'm getting enough me time, like, I have a good support system. That's what works for me.

A lot of players are different. They don't need that. They don't need that support or structure, whatever it may be, I don't know what it is. I think each individual person is different.

But to have success, I think you have to find what works for you, find a good balance with all of the things that come with being a tennis player.

Q. What are some of the little things of your routine, whether it's diet, wake-up time, taping, that are so important to you?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Like I said, having personal time, being happy, making sure I have good structure, my practices are good. Just like little stuff like that.

Q. Obviously Ash, No. 1 now. She took the break and everything from the sport, came back, felt refreshed. In a lot of ways when you came back, it was a forced break, but you had a similar mentality, it seemed like, in terms of it really did help you. Nowadays with players playing much later in their careers, those sort of sabbaticals might be something we see more often?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, I think we'll start to see them more just because the season is so incredibly long and there's so much travel. We play all over the world all year long. I think for a lot of girls, family is very important. Being home and being with your loved ones, being able to feel that sense of comfort, but knowing you also have to go to work every day. Work isn't down the street; work is in another country, it may be six thousand miles away. To be able to play longer, you have to have some type of break in there.

Every person is different, because some players, you know, maybe they don't want to go home. For them, playing every week, that's good for them. But like I said, it just depends. For top players to play longer and have longer careers, I'd say breaks are pretty beneficial.

Q. Do you think also, in addition to physical breaks, I don't know what the players talk about, in terms of having mental breaks where you're going through the motions, hopping on the planes, playing the tournament, but maybe we don't know it, from you guys, you know internally, I'm taking a few weeks for myself here?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, definitely. I think it's hard to be transparent when there's so much liability. If you don't go to the tournament, you're going to get a fine. If you don't go to press, you're going to get a fine. I think everyone is human. Everyone has days where it's very emotional. You just don't feel like doing your job.

For me, it's like you call in sick. You don't want to go to work that day. But from the outside world, it's like we pay to see you play. Us as fans deserve for you to be at your very best every time you step on the court. I totally understand that.

At the same time it's, like, there's two sides to every coin, right? It's very hard to explain to someone what you're feeling because you'll be judged with social media. The world we live in today it's just really hard to be open and transparent. I think as players, if we could be, there would be a lot more understanding. But obviously judgment always sets in first, so it makes it a little difficult.

Q. You say you're being judged. What does it mean to you to play freely or have a sense of freedom on the court?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I just feel like whether I'm happy, I'm playing well, I just want to go out there and compete, I'm good to go. Obviously life happens, things happen. It's just not going to be perfect every day.

You could have a perfect, like, first four months of the year, but then you got to play six more. I think it's not always just going to be amazing. There are more times than not, like, if you're in the top 10 or top 20, you're having obviously good results if you're the No. 20 or No. 10 player in the world. I think what an everyday judgment of, like, You lost first round, didn't make the quarterfinals, that's an everyday judgment. But an overall judgment, I'm top 20 in the world, that means you're pretty freaking good, you're doing pretty well.

Like I said, just finding that balance, trying to just keep a level head is all you can really do, when, like I said, in the world of social media, journalism, people always writing, stories. You just got to focus on you, do what you got to do.

Q. When do you feel free?
SLOANE STEPHENS: When do I feel free?

Q. On the court.
SLOANE STEPHENS: More times than not. I don't know.

I feel like this went into a philosophical. Do we have any more match questions? This has really evolved into something I did not expect.

Q. I don't have a match question, but I have my question.
SLOANE STEPHENS: Okay.

Q. With all due respect, the biggest story so far has been about Cori. It's an incredible story. Have you had much contact with her, your thoughts of her as a person and a player? You're so aware of the players' interaction with the greater world, can you reflect on a 15-year-old kid, player.
SLOANE STEPHENS: I've known Cori since she was seven, so a long time. I think she was seven or eight. Cori is a great young lady. I really like her. I think she is a really amazing player. Obviously to beat Venus on a stage like that yesterday is incredible.

Just for her to qualify, I think that was a very huge step just for her in general. Obviously to beat someone you looked up to your whole life, even more amazing.

With her age eligibility rule, I think she's a little bit limited, which I think they should change. But other than that, I think she's on the right path. I think she has two great parents that are looking out for her, protecting her, making sure she has everything she needs.

From that sense, I think there's nothing but positives coming out of that corner. We'll just have to see. By the time she really peaks, I'll probably be retired (smiling). I obviously wish nothing but the best for her.

Obviously she's still developing. There's a long ways to go. We'll just have to see over time what happens.

Q. Do you think the age eligibility rule should be dropped?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I don't think they should be dropped, I just think there should be some adjustments made.

Q. Serena has had a tough period lately with injuries and whatnot. She's going to be 38 at the end of September. I think a lot of people think she really wants to get to 24, maybe 25. Do you still think she has this in her?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Of course. I want her to just get it so we can all just stop talking about it. C'mon, let's just go ahead and win another one. 'We'? As if I'm her sister, let's come on and do it.

I think she's more than capable of doing it. Obviously the greatest player of our time. I say the greatest player in tennis history. I think she's more than capable of doing it. I think when she does, I think there will be a lot of celebrations, it will be great. I think just getting there...

Obviously her having a tough time now, it means nothing. Tennis, like I said, is so up and down, it literally makes no difference what happens now. The past is in the past. When she sets her mind to do whatever it is she is set to accomplish, I think there is no stopping her.

Q. What sense do you have of things you've sacrificed in order to pursue this career, given all that goes into training?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I think with everything in life, you have to make sacrifices in order to be good at your job. I think obviously, I won't go into detail what I've sacrificed, but with any job or anything you do to be good at it or great at it, you have to put some things aside, and really think about what you want, set a goal, figure out how you're going to get there. Sometimes that just takes a lot of sacrifice.

Q. Speaking of tennis, just in terms of the mental side of being relaxed and everything. Here at Wimbledon, just from more of a technical or game style, what do you need to be doing to be playing well on grass?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I think that grass is definitely a neutralizer, even more than clay. You don't have to be a great mover. You don't have to do a lot of amazing things, but be a good striker of the ball. I think people with a lot of variations in their game, a lot of slices, the court really plays to them.

Obviously I think you need to be ready and be able to face any type of adversity when you're playing on grass because a lot of different things can happen, you can slip and fall. Like there's just so many different things that happen that are kind of unexpected on grass.

I think to be able to kind of just really focus and focus on what's in front of you on grass is really important.

Q. On your court, there's been different discussions about the speeds of different courts. How did you find No. 3?
SLOANE STEPHENS: I thought mine was really slow. I played on the grounds earlier in the week. I thought they were, like, super, super slow.

Q. At Aorangi?
SLOANE STEPHENS: No. I don't know what you call those, the grounds courts. They were really slow. It's different. But, I mean, I'm not a grass connoisseur, so I don't know. It's fine to me. Yeah, we'll see.

Q. By coincidence both of your parents and Coco's parents were great athletes. Talk about growing up in that culture where both parents were so gifted, sports was big. Was that an asset?
SLOANE STEPHENS: Not really. My mom was a swimmer. My dad played football. Had nothing to do with tennis. Yeah, my family in general were very competitive. But I think the most important part is to keep it fun, to make sure that your kid is really enjoying whatever it is they're doing.

I think Coco is really enjoying playing tennis right now. As parents of a 15-year-old, that's really all you want your kid -- you want them to have fun. I think from what I can tell, she's having a great time. The happier you are, like me when I'm happy, I play great tennis.

From what I can see, a 15-year-old on top of the world, playing Venus Williams, beating your idol, it really doesn't get any better than that.

I can see two proud parents and a really, really, really excited 15-year-old. I don't think you can really top that.

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