Her African-American heritage meant that the media was all over her. They had the story right in front of them with a young star ready to take the mantle from an ageing legend.
Even though Sloane would later be described as a flash in the pan by many, that brief period led to her making some major headlines with Serena Williams.
Before the tournament, Sloane had called Serena her mentor. However, things drastically changed after her victory.
Serena posted a cryptic tweet which said: “I made you”. Many considered this as a dig at the young star and criticized Serena. Things would take an ugly turn when Sloane decided to retaliate.
She gave an interview to ESPN The Magazine where she clarified that her relationship with Serena was no longer the same.
In fact, she was shocked by the way she was being treated by her idol. Let’s find out what Sloane Stephens said about her mentor Serena Williams.
What did Sloane Stephens say about Serena Williams?
Sloane Stephens revealed that Serena had been rude to her ever since she was defeated. This was thought of as arrogant by her.
“She’s not said one word to me, not spoken to me, not said hi, not looked my way, not been in the same room with me since I played her in Australia,” Stephens says emphatically. “
And that should tell everyone something, how she went from saying all these nice things about me to unfollowing me on Twitter.”
Sloane continued her rant describing how Serena was nothing like what people thought of her. In fact, she was much different.
“Like, seriously! People should know. They think she’s so friendly and she’s so this and she’s so that — no, that’s not reality! You don’t unfollow someone on Twitter, delete them off of BlackBerry Messenger. I mean, what for? Why?”
This was considered a bold move by a then-young Sloane Stephens. The last thing you need so early on in your career is a tough time with Serena Williams. It seems that the two mended their relationship afterwards.
They are certainly on talking terms with Sloane revealing that they talk about stuff which is non-tennis.
The two stars are certainly the pride of the USA and it would be a shame if they continued to dislike each other.