The 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens has made a huge addition to his coaching team ahead of the new season.
After winning a Grand Slam title for the first time in her career in 2017, Sloane Stephens went on to have a phenomenal 2018 where she climbed to No. 3 in the WTA rankings. However, from 2019 onwards, Stephens struggled with form and that saw her out of the top 50 by 2021.
In 2022, Stephens made a resurgence of sorts and made her way back into the top 50 in the rankings. The American tennis pro won her seventh title on the tour and first since 2018 at the Abierto Zapopan in February. She defeated Marie Bouzkova in the final to claim the title. Stephens also reached the quarterfinals at the French Open for the first time since 2019.
The current world No. 37 seems to be determined to carry on with her resurgence when the new season gets going. She has added experienced Spanish coach Francis Roig to her coaching team. Roig has experience working with Rafael Nadal for 18 years. The 22-time Grand Slam champion recently announced that Roig has decided to leave his team and wished him luck with his new project. Nadal didn’t mention anything regarding Roig’s next assignment but Stephens has announced via her Twitter handle that the 54-year-old will be coaching her in the upcoming season.
“Happy to have Francis Roig join my team as my new coach! Here’s to a successful journey together, let’s get to work”
Sloane Stephens turned pro in 2009 and it took her six years to win her first WTA singles title which came at the 2015 Citi Open.
The Florida-born athlete entered the 2017 US Open as the world No. 83 and had a protected ranking. She went on to defeat fellow American Madison Keys in the final in straight sets 6-3, 6-0 to etch her name in the history books.
Stephens became the first American woman other than the Williams sisters to win a major title since Jennifer Capriati won the Australian Open in 2002.
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