US Open champion declares ‘I don’t want to be world No.1 or Novak Djokovic’
Sloane Stephens explained why she didn’t want to be as successful as Novak Djokovic
Sloane Stephens got candid about her career goals as she admitted she had no desire to be like Novak Djokovic.
The American was touted as one of the next big things when she upset Serena Williams at 19. Four years later, she lifted the US Open trophy.
But Stephens has struggled to find consistency in recent years and has now claimed there’s “nothing wrong” with not being Djokovic.
Stephens has enjoyed a career most would envy. The 31-year-old peaked at No. 3 in the world, won her home Grand Slam tournament, lifted seven other titles and reached a French Open final
Now sitting at No. 75 in the world, the American got brutally honest about her career as she compared herself to the best in the game, explaining why their success wasn’t for her.
“There’s nothing wrong with not being Novak. Everyone can’t be No. 1 in the world,” Stephens said on Tennis Insider Club, a podcast created by fellow former top 10 star Caroline Garcia.
“I think Iga [Swiatek]’s great, she’s No. 1 in the world but I do not want that job. There are certain people who thrive in that, but that’s what makes our sport so unique.”
Many touted Stephens to reach the top of the game when she broke through as a teenager. She was just 18 when she broke into the top 100. At the beginning of 2013, Stephens lost to Serena Williams in Brisbane.
The 23-time Major winner declared the teenager could be “the best in the world one day”. Just weeks later, 19-year-old Stephens stunned Williams in the Australian Open quarter-final, ending her 20-match winning streak.
It took a few more years for Stephens to go all the way at a Grand Slam. She won the 2017 US Open after spending a year on the sidelines to recover from foot surgery.
The former world No. 3 has struggled for form since her run to the WTA Finals final in 2018 but she’s more than happy to continue travelling and competing on the tour. She added: “This is a good job to stay at.
“Obviously, it is a lot of travel and it’s very hectic and it’s hard, and it’s stressful. There’s a lot of adversity happening every single week that nobody ever sees. But what job is going to pay you to put on your tennis dress and play a match on live TV?”
