Sloane Stephens recently opened up about her plans to complete her doctorate and the priorities she has outside of tennis.
Stephens’ most recent outing came at the French Open, where she played three rounds of qualifiers. However, she fell short of advancing further than the first round after a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Sara Bejlek on May 24. She is now set to begin her Memphis Open campaign against Yuliia Starodubtseva in the opening round on July 27.
Ahead of the tournament, Stephens spoke with HATC Magazine on Saturday about different aspects of her career. During the conversation, she highlighted the importance of education, revealing that she is currently pursuing her doctorate, which will be her third degree. The American already holds a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and a master of business administration.
Opening up about the role her mother played in her education and discussing her priorities beyond tennis, she said:
“It’s a big part of my life. My parents are very firm believers in education and higher education, and I’m currently getting my doctorate. I’m on my third degree now. I think this is definitely it, but I always think about how I have the most balance, the most drive and motivation when I’m in school. I was homeschooled in high school, so for me, that part of my life and my routine, I think, is so embedded in me. My mom’s an educator; she’s a psychologist.”
She added:
“I am very used to having a very strict routine and schedule, and education was always a part of that for me, and so when I decided to get my doctorate, I thought, you know what, this will be good for my life, because I’ll be very anchored and balanced. Learning new things makes me feel good, but also shows our kids at the foundation that school is cool and that it’s good for you. For me, it’s completely helped structure my life, and my entire being.”
Weighing in on how her motivation changes, she further added:
“I think the motivation changes, because I mean, once you win a certain number of tournaments, once you make enough prize money and once you have done all these amazing things, you are still playing the same exact tournaments every single year, all year long. Your motivation has to be something specific to you and something that means something to you personally.”
Sloane Stephens reflects on how the scene in tennis has evolved after she joined the sport
“When I first came on tour, it was different. Venus and Serena [Williams] were still winning slams, and they were dominating the game. There were still players like Lindsay Davenport and Kim Clijsters, and people that I really looked up to and loved watching play, and as I’ve gotten older, there’s a completely new set of girls. Coco Gauff and the younger girls, like Marta Kostyuk,” said Sloane Stephens.
“It’s so interesting to see because the game has developed and changed so much in terms of power and athleticism; even the balls have changed. It’s been nice to be a part of it because I feel like I’ve lived through so much tennis in my life, and I’ve been able to see so many great champions, play with great champions, and beat great champions.”
