“I wouldn’t want that job, it’s hard” – Sloane Stephens explains why Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys & other top players are different than her

Sloane Stephens discussed how she believes she differs from Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys and others. She explained that while these players can consistently grind on the WTA Tour week after week, she finds it hard to imagine maintaining that level of commitment.

Stephens rose to fame after stunning the legendary Serena Williams at the age of 19 during the quarterfinals of the 2013 Australian Open. Four years later, she captured her first Grand Slam title at the US Open.

However, since then, the 31-year-old has faced ongoing struggles with consistency, and her performance in 2024 has been disappointing as well. She currently has a win-loss record of 19-22 this season and is ranked World No. 75.

Sloane Stephens, whose most recent outing was at the Korea Open last month where she was eliminated in the first round, sat down for a conversation with Caroline Garcia and her fiancé Borja Duran on their podcast, Tennis Insider Club.

During the discussion, she spoke about her competitive drive and compared herself to Garcia, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys, saying (at 32:43):

“People who do it every single week, I applaud them. I don’t know how they do it because I am exhausted. If I play one long week, I’m like, ‘Man, I gotta go home.’ So, I don’t know how they do it. I don’t think every tennis player was put here to play every single week because it’s really freaking hard.”

“There’s a reason we have the Caroline Garcias, the Madison Keys(s) and the Coco Gauffs. It kinda makes our sport very unique and cool. Everyone cannot be World No. 1 and Iga [Swiatek] is great as No. 1 in the world but I wouldn’t want that job, it’s hard,” she added.

Sloane Stephens on her retirement speculation: “I have no idea”
Sloane Stephens pictured at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals | Image Source: Getty
Sloane Stephens pictured at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals | Image Source: Getty

During her conversation on the Tennis Insider Club podcast, Sloane Stephens addressed her retirement, noting that many people ask her when she plans to step away from the sport. However, she made it clear that she has no intention of retiring just yet.

“Everyone asks me that, I feel so old! I have no idea. I guess when I start losing and they are not paying me any more!” Stephens said.

The American added:

“This is a good job to stay at. There is a lot of travel and it’s hectic and it’s hard. There is a lot of adversity happening every single week which nobody ever sees, but I think what job is going to pay you to put on your tennis dress and go on and play a match on live TV? Otherwise, I’m going to be at home. Until I have a kid or something.”

Stephens’ best performance in 2024 came at the Open de Rouen, where she defeated Magda Linette in the final, ending a two-year title drought.