Sloane Stephens: Life is good - US Open 2017
She's got a new attitude. It may have to do with the fact that Sloane Stephens is back on a tennis court and not confined to a wheel chair.
Earlier this year, Stephens graduated from sitting to, as she says, walking around on that peg leg thing..
That is where the 24-year-old was just six months ago. As she sat out WTA action recovering from a severe stress fracture that required foot surgery and months of rehabilitation, the talented American's ranking plummeted all the way to No.
957. Now Stephens is back up and walking, running – as few can – and winning.
She surged to consecutive semifinals at the prestigious Rogers Cup in Toronto and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati – only her third and fourth tournaments of the year – by upending the likes of Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber.
Her ranking shot up to 83. After that serious foot injury that kept her off the tour for 11 months, Stephens has suddenly rebooted her career.
I obviously wasnt happy to get injured, said Stephens. But it was a good lesson for me.
It was a good time to be able to take a break, get my health in order, then just kind of reevaluate my whole entire situation, come back a better player and better person..
On April 18, Stephens posted a short video of herself taking baby steps in rehab on her Instagram account, where she has nearly 84,000 followers. The caption read: Day 1 walking …. EXCITED!!!!!!!!.
Three days ago, just four months removed from those first steps and after beating Dominika Cibulkova in the second round, Stephens posted a pretty black-and-white photo.
In it, she clutched her racquet in victory, her fists clenched, eyes closed and mouth in a wide smile. The caption said, simply: MOOD..
Sloane has earned the right to be in a good mood. She has claimed victories over four players in the Top 20 in the past month alone.
In reaching the second week at the US Open – her first wins in Flushing since 2014 – Stephens defeated the 2015 finalist, Roberta Vinci, No. 11 seed Cibulkova and Ashleigh Barty, a young Aussie having her own breakthrough year.
The native Californian made her big splash on tour as a 19-year-old. The youngster streaked to the semifinal of the Australian Open, defeating her idol Serena Williams in the quarters.
That year, Stephens ascended to a ranking of No. 11 (finishing the year at No. 12). Labeled the new Cinderella on straight-news broadcasts and featured in the likes of Vogue magazine, the teen was quickly anointed Serena's successor.
Stephens was a phenomenal athlete with telegenic looks and a bubbly, voluble off-court personality. With her blinding smile, dimples and elegance on a tennis court, she was a marketer's dream.
Yet Stephens didn't win a WTA tournament until a full two years after her breakthrough. And her last appearance Round of 16 at her home major, the US Open, was in 2013 -- the year she reached her career-high ranking.
For three years, Stephens hovered in the Top 40 – even winning four smaller tournaments just last year – but she appeared to have peaked as a 20-year-old.
When the media and tennis insiders were quick to label her the Next Best Thing, a career in the Top 40, though, wasn't exactly what was expected of the American.
The enormous expectations were understandable. Stephens possesses enviable gifts on a tennis court. Few players are as fluid. She is exceptionally smooth but lightning quick.
And she has deceptive firepower. Sloanes swings are relaxed, but the ball rockets off her racquet, a product of excellent timing and racquet-head speed.
Even with those natural gifts, Stephens suffered a rash of setbacks, and her upwards trajectory wasn't as smooth as her entry into the big time. Stephens grew frustrated when things didn't go her way.
She had a disturbing tendency to get negative, translating into a less-than-sunny disposition on court. Before I was, like, so emotional, admitted Stephens. Everything, like, always got to me..
Stephens often appeared desultory and complacent in matches, especially outside of the tours biggest events.
When you play week in and week out, a couple years in a row, theres a lot of ups and downs. said Stephens this week I think it can wear you out a bit.
Commentators began to wonder whether she lacked the competitive fire required of champions, or whether she was content with merely decent results and a life in the limelight.
With such an effortless-looking game, it was easy to jump to the conclusion that Stephens wasn't always putting in a full effort.
As the losses piled up, and Stephens found it difficult to return to the results she tasted as a teen, it seemed that the American didn't trust her weapons.
She backed off her shots, playing passive and middling tennis rather than the explosive, offensive game that brought her success.
That winning style of tennis has reappeared after her injury break from the tour. Stephens' more aggressive game has accompanied a change in attitude. I play a sport for a living. I dont, like, operate on people, said Stephens last week.
This is not life or death. I think its hard to realize that when youre out there playing, because theres a lot riding on it: prize money, points, so many things go into it..
I think I have it pretty good, she added. I think once I realized that, I was, like: Life is actually really very good.. I think thats where Im at now.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét