Off-Court Elegance: Sloane Stephens

Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, renowned for her athleticism, speed, and powerful forehand, is a force to be reckoned with on the court. She rose to prominence with a stunning semifinal run at the 2013 Australian Open, even beating women’s tennis legend Serena Williams while she was still 19 years old.

In 2017, she would make history as the lowest-ranked player to win the U.S. Open. Coming back from a foot injury and ranked No. 83, she would go on to win the tournament while looking stunning, becoming a household name across the country and among tennis enthusiasts the world over.

She has accomplished on-court feats that few professional players achieve.

How about her off-court style? Well, she also serves fashion tips off the court.

As an athlete who relies on her body to perform on the court, she is careful to optimize everything around protecting her physical well-being. She is careful to wear comfortable clothes.

“My number one priority is always comfort,” she told Refinery 29 in 2019. She continues, saying, “Don’t get me wrong, I love a good excuse to dress up and take out my heels. But on an everyday basis, I’m a casual, athleisure, sneaker girl.”

She concluded, saying, “I’ve definitely gotten more into brands and fashion in the last few years, though, so I’m having fun experimenting with new styles and seeing what I like.”

While she prioritizes comfort most of the time when she goes out, she opts for a fun ensemble. Speaking with Bazaar, “My style is...fun. I’m super girly off the court, I love to wear dresses and skirts and heels. It allows me to express myself, and who doesn’t like to wear a pair of Jimmy Choos?!”

But even so, she does not stray too far from her principle of always being comfortable.

Sloane is on record for having an affinity for fashion. In 2013, she confessed her love of shopping and trying new things to The New York Times. “I love to shop, I love to see new things,” she noted. Being on the road also gives her time to research more about fashion. “I obviously have a lot of free time when I’m on the road. It gives me something to do. I can look up all types of designers.”

In some regard, reading about designers and fashion in general, allowed the young Sloane to unwind. “You have the Internet, you have everything. It’s definitely something that has been built into my life because it’s something I could do to waste a lot of time. And it’s fun, so it definitely has taken a big part of my life because it’s something I really like to do.”

Asked whether she fancied getting involved in fashion, she replied, “I’m thinking about it, but obviously it’s really tough. Fashion is very judgmental. It’s something where you have to be careful. I have a long way to go before I can be a designer. I’d love to one day, but we’ll see.”

Ten years later, she is now sharing her passion for fashion in her own small way. She revealed to Teen Vogue that she had started an LTK account “so I can share some of my looks and pieces that inspire me.”

Additionally, Sloane has collaborated with Kitty, creating the Kitty + Vibe swimwear collection. She termed the collaboration as “a really fun process” that allowed her "to play more with my sense of style and designing with a diverse audience in mind.”

As you can tell, she is not just a fashion enthusiast looking to buy. She is increasingly getting involved in fashion to influence.