US OPEN

August 30, 2021

Sloane Stephens

Press Conference

S. STEPHENS/M. Keys

6-3, 1-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Could give us your thoughts on the match and advancing to round 2.

SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, obviously I thought the match was going to be tough from the very beginning. Playing Madison is always difficult. We're friends and then obviously Americans playing at the US Open is never easy. And then of course we played here in the final in 2017.

So there was a lot of stuff surrounding the match just because it's something that we're familiar with, and I think a lot of people wanted to see.

I thought it was a good battle. Obviously 7-6 in the third is a good match and just happy to be through.

Q. Going back to when you played the final. Now you're in here unseeded. It's some years later. The world is entirely different. Did that seem at all surreal to you or strange to be in that particular situation?

SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, I think a lot of things have changed in the last like 18 months and then since 2017. Maddie and I have, you know, been here before. Again, I was unseeded when I won the Open.

It's just a little bit different now. I wasn't injured. Just the pandemic. I think there is a lot of variables to what's happening in tennis now. I think every day you just have to come out here and do your absolute best and see, you know, what happens.

I think today we both went out and did our best and we played a really great match. It's just unfortunate that someone has to win and someone has to lose.

Q. Did you flash back to that 2017 match at any point?

SLOANE STEPHENS: Ah, no (smiling).

Q. How would you describe your observations of the young career of Coco Gauff and how she's evolved as a player in just a couple of years?

SLOANE STEPHENS: I think Coco is a great girl. I call her Cocofina, and I have known her since she was like 8, I want to say. I've seen her game like, me, I feel so old because I have actually like grown up and seen her play and practice and stuff.

I think the evolution of her game has been really awesome. It's not very often that you actually see a player from very, very young and then to, you know, be as established as she is now is super inspiring. I think super awesome. She's a great player, great girl.

I think her future is super bright. I look forward to seeing, you know, what she does next.

Q. What do you consider most special about her on the court?

SLOANE STEPHENS: I must play her. Is that why you're asking me? I'm like, Why are you asking me all these questions about Coco?

No, I think she's a great mover, has a great game. Obviously now that I'm playing her why would I tell you everything? No, she's a great player and she has a lot of amazing things she does in her game. Obviously she's young so she still has things to work on, but I think she's a very established player with great things in her game.

Q. We spoke to Madison and she said she was actually expecting to play you today. When she saw the draw she wasn't really surprised because you guys were supposed to practice I guess. What was your reaction to seeing that? Were you kind of expecting it too?

SLOANE STEPHENS: No, I wouldn't say I was expecting it. I was just, like, Okay, why?

I think, like it's just tough when you get into this position and, like, we're at the US Open, we're both looking to do well here. And then to play each other, again, someone has to win it, someone has to lose, and it's just sucky.

But, yeah, we were supposed to practice and it was 12:20. I was like, Oh, they must be putting up a thing of us. Are they letting fans in to watch practice?

We were supposed to practice on Ashe, I think. I was like, Oh, they must be letting fans in. Then I was like, Oh, no, that says round 1. I was like, Oh, my God.

So it's quite annoying, but, again, obviously Maddie is like my best friend on tour so it's unfortunate. But again, if it was the other way around, it would be the same thing.

Q. How do you balance that as a competitor and as a close friend?

SLOANE STEPHENS: I just think like every week we're not going to play each other so it's fine. But it is unfortunate that at the US Open, the biggest event for both of us, we would play each other.

But I think, you know, on tour having a consistent person you can lean on and talk to all the time. Obviously I have known Maddie since I was, like, 12-ish, so we've had a really good relationship.

I think tennis aside, like, I don't know if there is maybe for you guys I don't know if you can relate, but there's probably one or two people at your job that you'd actually be friends with if you stopped working there. I think Maddie is one of those people where she's actually genuinely my friend.

And, yeah, I look forward to, you know, seeing her every week on tour and talking and all of that stuff. So I think it's been a good place of comfort for us, like the last, I'd say our whole career but especially now the last 18 months or so with the pandemic and all the shenanigans happening.

Q. There have been fans at other tournaments, but this is New York and New York fans are fairly well known. What was your reaction to what you saw and heard out there?

SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, obviously Wimbledon had a good crowd. I played on a great court there. It was amazing. But obviously I'm not British, so kind of like, Okay.

I think being an American playing at the US Open is incredible. I think this atmosphere, out of all the slams, is pretty unmatched. I think this is like the peak of the peak. But of course I may be biased, I don't know. But, yeah, like just having these fans out and the energy, the atmosphere, it brings a lot back to tennis, I feel like.

Even though we've had fans at some places, like obviously nothing compares to playing in New York.

Q. Madison said it was the best match she played in a while and she thought it was similar for you too. Wondering if you can talk about your level out there and what you were able to bring out in each other, given the circumstances?

SLOANE STEPHENS: Yeah, I thought the level was really good. Like I said, we were both looking to, you know, like start winning some matches and getting back to where we were. It's just unfortunate we both had to play each other here because I felt like we were both on the upswing a little bit, both of where we are, both of us, like the only place to really go is up.

I feel like once we kind of connect our games and like things kind of fall back into place we'll be where we want to be. But obviously that gets halted when you play each other in the first round of the tournament so that kind of sucks.

I still think both of us are headed in the right direction, which is good. Yeah, just kind of have to take it day by day.

Q. (Question about wearing the same outfit.)

SLOANE STEPHENS: No, we normally don't wear the same outfit, which is good. It was the same outfit though, just a different color. As long as we weren't matching, yeah. First world problems.

Q. What do you think the biggest reasons are for you being on an upswing now?

SLOANE STEPHENS: I just think a lot of hard work. After Australia I like did a whole entire reset and I went back to training. I just focused on myself. I made sure that I was happy. I took care of myself, my body, my mind, just really tried to gather myself again and not really worry too much about results and what was happening around me.

I didn't see results right away, like I still haven't, let's just be real, I'm 60 in the world, it's not like I've seen some dramatic, amazing thing happen. But I think, you know, when you are happy with yourself and inside it gives you opportunity to, you know, have that success and have those accomplishments.

I think it may not happen now, it may happen in the middle or end of next year, I don't know, but at this rate, like, I know I'm not a bad tennis player. At some point though it will click.

Q. In the breaker, Madison won three straight points and the last of them to go up 5-3 when you hit the lob. You looked not happy with that, lost three in a row, felt like it was slipping away. What's going through your mind at that point and how do you do a reset and finish it out the way you did?

SLOANE STEPHENS: Well, tiebreakers are funny. That was an atrocious shot that I hit, I was, like, Wow, that was really bad to hit that now.

But I think tiebreakers are funny because the momentum in them can shift so fast. And, yes, I lost three points, but I wasn't out of the match. I think if you kind of get too down on yourself then you take yourself out of the match, and obviously it's two points and she wins.

I just really tried to focus on my serve, winning those points and kind of just making sure I could get myself like playable, like plays on the ball. And I just went from there, I didn't really think about it too much. I was, like, yeah, that was a horrendous shot and I just moved on.

Q. You got a coaching violation. You seemed confused by it. Do you know what happened there?

SLOANE STEPHENS: She was being aggravating today, I don't know what happened, but honestly I have no idea. But I normally don't have a beef with her, so I don't know.

I basically was telling them, like, STFU, stop doing whatever you're doing because it's making her mad. We just moved on.