Buy, Sell or Hold: Sloane Stephens

Player Bio

Age: 21

Hometown: Plantation, FL, USA

Favorite Surface: Clay

Career Record: 159 - 113

Career Highlights:

• 2013 Australian Open Semifinalist
•  Made at least the fourth round of every major in 2013
• Finished 2013 ranked #11 in the world

Reasons To Buy

1. All-Around Player: Out of all the young players making their way up the rankings, Stephens has the most well-rounded game. The 21-year-old has penetrating groundstrokes, a solid serve, which she hits well over 110 MPH, and a strong net game. Despite being one of the shorter players on tour (5’7”), Stephens possesses one of the biggest forehands in women’s tennis. Furthermore, to be a top player in women’s tennis, a player must have weapons. Sloane Stephens has all the tools to become the next tennis superstar.    
2. Movement: In addition to her well-rounded game, Sloane Stephens is one of the best movers on the WTA tour. Coming from an athletic family (Mom Sybil was the first African-American female All-American swimmer at Boston University and Father John was a professional football player), Stephens has the foot speed to run down just about every ball. Other than her huge forehand, I believe the American’s movement is her greatest weapon. When used effectively, Stephens is able to use her movement to transition from defense to offense. Movement is a major factor in today’s game because of how well players strike the ball. Furthermore, Stephens’s ability to use her movement to win points differentiates her from most players on the WTA Tour. 

Reasons To Sell

1. Attitude/Desire to win: The biggest concern when it comes to the Stephens’s game is her attitude on court. On several occasions, Stephens’s demeanor conveys the feeling of disinterest or lack of desire. The American has always been a calm and centered player on the court. However, a little fire expressed after a pivotal point in a match will go a long way for the young American. As a player with such a warm personality off the court, Stephens is as cold as ice on the cold.
2. Too Passive: As big as the Stephens’s game is, the American relies too heavily on her movement to outlast her opponents. Historically, the players who have won major titles were those who possessed an aggressive mindset. Stephens plays a majority of her matches camped out well behind the baseline. Instead of taking the ball early and being offensive, the American waits for the ball to come to her. Stephens’s problem is not due to an inability to hit for power. Rather, it is the American’s defensive mind-set that is preventing her from taking her game to the next level. Until Stephens makes a concerted effort to play more aggressively, she will have to be content with just being a top 30 player.  

Reasons To Hold

1. Still Putting the Pieces Together: Balance in tennis is everything. A player must choose when to step up and take the ball on the rise, or to play consistent baseline tennis. This is something that Sloane Stephens still struggles with. Even though Stephens has played on the pro tour since 2010, the American is still trying to put the pieces of her game together on various fronts. A crucial piece of the puzzle is her coaching situation. In her brief career, Stephens has had quite a few coaches, including David Nainkin, Roger Smith, and Paul Annacone. Unfortunately for the American, none of these coaching arrangements has resulted in a better perspective of how to maximize her potential. Several days after parting ways with Annacone, it was reported that Stephens has begun working with coach Thomas Hogstedt. As great of a job as Hogstedt did with Sharapova in their three-year stint together, I am cautiously optimistic as to how much of an impact the Swedish coach can have on Stephens. Conversely, if Hodstedt can impart the same aggressive mentality he instilled in Sharapova into Stephens’s game, the American might be able to put all the pieces together. With all of my speculating, time will tell whether the Stephens-Hogstedt team will solve the young American’s puzzle.
2. Too Soon To Call: Over the years, tennis fans have grown accustom to the young phenoms achieving great success. From Chris Evert to most recently Maria Sharapova, we expect a great deal from any player deemed to be “The Next.” The same could be said about Sloane Stephens. After Stephens shocked the tennis world last year by defeating Serena Williams in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, people began labeling her as “The next Serena Williams.” As grateful as Stephens must have felt to receive such a distinction; conversely, she must have felt the weight of the world being placed on her shoulders. Being only 21 years of age, Stephens still lacks experience when it comes to day-to-day life on the tour, as well as dealing with the pressure in big matches. The U.S. fans have been unrealistic in their expectations of Stephens in the early stages of her career. As a player who is still developing, it is too soon to call the trajectory of Stephens’s career. 

Verdict: Hold

Based on Sloane’s athletic ability, she has top 5 potential… if she can put the pieces together. At 21 years of age, Stephens is still looking for the right balance when it comes to her game and her coaching situation. The American’s decision to hire Maria Sharapova’s former coach Thomas Hogstedt will hopefully result in a better perspective of how to approach a match. If Stephens develops a more aggressive mentality, along with a more intense attitude on the court, the young American could become a serious contender for major titles. Furthermore, I would place Sloane Stephens’ stock as a hold.

Wimbledon Wrap Up

As players brushed off the remnant red clay from Roland Garros, preparation began for the grass court major at Wimbledon. During the brief four-week grass court season, we saw two Americans capture their maiden WTA titles, as well as a familiar face in Petra Kvitova reclaim the Wimbledon crown. However, the fortnight at SW19 provided several other intriguing story-lines, which left fans at the edge of their seats. Before we look forward to the U.S. hard court season, here are my three takeaways from the two weeks at the All-England Club.

The Struggle Continues

Coming into the fortnight at the All-England Club, I believed that Serena Williams would capture her sixth Wimbledon title, and turn what has been an underwhelming season around. Two years ago following her opening round loss at the French Open, the world number one was able to put the emotional letdown behind her, and struck 102 aces in taking her fifth title at SW19. Conversely, in the two grand slam events so far this year, Williams won four matches, which is six less that 20-year-old Canadian Eugiene Bouchard. The overwhelming pressure to capture grand slam title number 18, which would tie her with tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, has played a major role in both of Williams’ loss at the majors. Unfortunately for the future hall of famer, her struggles would continue at the All-England Club.

From the moment Williams stepped onto Centre Court for her first round match, the world number one looked uncomfortable and out of sorts on the grass. The most reliable shot in Serena’s game, her serve, ended up being the most inconsistent. Despite striking 16 aces in her opening round match, Williams was unable to use her go-to slice serve or flat serve up the middle effectively. When Serena Williams cannot rely on her serve to get her out of trouble, it puts enormous pressure on the rest of her game.

The five-time champion’s serving woes were on full display in her third-round encounter with Alize Cornet. The Frenchwoman, who upset Williams in the semifinals of Dubai earlier this year, was able to neutralize the powerful serve of Williams, often times taking the offensive. Surprisingly, Williams struggled with her second serve, winning only 30% of the points and hitting 7 double faults. Possessing one of the best second serves in women’s tennis, Williams’ unusually high number of double faults was a clear indicator that her game was not flowing.   

As Serena closed out the opening set 6-1, it appeared that the five-time champion was beginning to come into form. However, after squandering a 0-30 opportunity in the opening game of the second set, as well as a 30-0 lead in her first service game, Williams would quickly fall behind 5-0. In addition to inspired play from Cornet, the match got out of hand for Williams because of the decreased potency of her serve.

Cornet served out the match, upsetting the heavily favored Williams 1-6 6-3 6-4. For the third straight major, the 17-time major champion fails to make it to at least the quarterfinals. However, this loss in particular is more significant than the other two losses at the majors. First, grass is arguably Williams’ best surface given the increased effectiveness of her serve. Second, her opponent, whose best surface is clay, had an 8-13 career record on grass. Lastly, this was the first time since 2005 that Williams was eliminated before the round of 16, when she lost to fellow American Jill Craybas in the third round. Since returning from the life-threatening pulmonary embolism, Serena Williams has never looked so vulnerable. Entering the American hard court swing, the world number one has a lot to prove as she heads into the final major of the year still searching for grand slam title number 18.    

Genie’s Magical Fortnight

What a difference a year makes? A year ago, Eugiene Bouchard was ranked 56 in the world, and beginning to make her breakthrough. In her third round showing at the All-England Club, the then 19-year-old impressed the tennis world with her ability to take the ball early and on the rise. Having watched Bouchard play several times prior to 2013 Wimbledon, I was aware of the Canadian’s huge upside. However, I did not believe she would make such an impact on women’s tennis so early in her career. 

Now that three of the four majors have been completed, Eugiene Bouchard is the sole player to make at least the semifinals of each major. Following her magical run at the Australian Open, I was skeptical whether the Canadian can continue her high level of play. Like American Sloane Stephens a year ago, Bouchard struggled in the months following the Aussie Open. The Canadian lost in the first round at the premier mandatory events in Miami and Madrid, as well as in Rome. However, Bouchard was able to right the ship by winning her first career title in Nürnberg a week prior to the French Open. The wave of confidence would continue into the season’s second major, where she upset Angelique Kerber en-route to her second straight major semifinal.

Following her semifinal loss to Maria Sharapova, Bouchard made a bold statement at her press conference by saying her best surface was grass. What impressed me most about her statement was despite another tough loss at a major, Bouchard maintained a positive outlook going forward, while showing a strong belief in her ability to compete with the game’s elite. Furthermore, it is this inner belief that sets her apart from the rising stars in women’s tennis.

The tennis gods were not too kind to the 20-year-old with her placement in the Wimbledon draw.  In order to make her third consecutive major semifinal, she needed to beat, if the seeds held to form, both Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Fortunately for the Canadian, she did not need to play either Williams or Sharapova because the both lost one round shy of the potential matchup. As a result, the upsets made a clear path to semifinals for Bouchard.

Even though Eugiene Bouchard was playing well coming into her third consecutive semifinal, the 20-year-old’s game shined the brightest in her match against French Open finalist Simona Halep. Against the slighter hitting Romanian, Bouchard was able to implement her aggressive game plan with perfection. Halep, playing in just her second career major semifinal was hampered by an ankle injury, which she sustained midway through the first set of the match. Bouchard truly impressed me her ability to maintain her focus, despite playing a struggling opponent. If anything, the Canadian played even more aggressive following Halep’s injury. Tennis is a game where mental strength is as important as physical strength. Eugiene Bouchard in her impressive runs at the majors this year has proven the correlation between a good attitude and success on the court.

Early Upsets, Early Exits

The past few seasons have brought about renewed excitement in the future of U.S. women’s tennis. After nearly a decade of waiting for the next American superstar, the United States has produced generated a plethora of players who possess grand slam winning talent. Prior to Wimbledon, the grass court season proved to be a great success for the American women. Youngsters Madison Keys and Coco Vandeweghe captured their maiden WTA titles in Eastbourne and s’Hertogenbosch respectively. Lauren Davis also had a strong Wimbledon turn up, losing to Keys in the quarterfinals of Eastbourne. Riding a wave of confidence, I had high hopes that the American women would make an impact at Wimbledon.

The first round of the tournament saw several Americans post impressive wins. With just a day to get to the All-England Club, Coco Vandeweghe upset Serena Williams’ French Open conqueror, Garbinñe Muguruza on her 13^th match point. Victoria Duval, the lone American woman to make it through qualifying, defeated the erratic Romanian Sorana Cirstea in three sets. Last but not least, Madison Keys took out rising Puerto Rican player Monica Puig, who has beaten the American in both prior meetings.

Unfortunately, just as things were looking up for the American women, their run of good fortunes came to an end. Following Azarenka’s surprising second round loss to Bojana Jovanovski, the road to the Round of 16 seem clear for Coco Vandeweghe. However, the 22-year-old crashed out of Wimbledon in the next round, losing to No. 175 Tereza Smitkova of the Czech Republic. In a battle of two youngsters, Victoria Duval was taken out my 2013 Wimbledon junior champ Belinda Bencic. However, despite the losses my Vandeweghe and Duval, both Madison Keys and Lauren Davis would reach the third round.

In the third round, both Davis and Keys had winnable matches. Lauren Davis was coming off a stellar second round performance, upsetting the 12^th-seed Flavia Pennetta, a 2013 Wimbledon quarterfinalist. The American continued to produce great tennis, taking the first set 6-0 against Peng Shuai of China. Unfortunately, Davis could not sustain her play, and would fall to her more-experienced opponent in three sets.

Coming into her third round match, Madison Keys looked even more impressive than her American compatriot. With her booming serve and huge groundstrokes, the 19-year-old looked poised to make a deep run at the All-England Club. Conversely, Keys was eliminated from the tournament in a much different manner than Davis. After failing to close out the first set, Keys looked to be nursing an injury. In fading daylight, the American had opportunities to serve out the second set at both 5-4 and 6-5. Clearly hampered by what was later diagnosed as a left abductor injury, Keys was unable to serve with the explosiveness that fans are accustomed. After being broken on both occasions, play would be suspended due to darkness. However, the suspension of play proved to be the conclusion from the match. Keys’ retirement meant that for the first time since 1911, no American, male or female, would make the second week of The Championships.

As one of the most successful sporting nations in the world, we put an overwhelming amount of pressure on our athletes. We expect them to perform and come out on top. The pressure U.S. fans put on our nation’s tennis players is no different. Have we experienced moments of greatness from players like Keys and Vandeweghe in the past few years? Yes. However, is it realistic to think that when a player turns pro at 18, with the level of physicality of today’s game, the athlete can compete with stronger, more experienced athletes? Even though Davis, Keys and Vandeweghe had great opportunities to make the second week of Wimbledon, inexperience ruled the day. In conclusion, the early upsets provided hope for U.S. fans; however, inexperience resulted in the players’ early exits.