‘It Stressed Me Out’- Sloane Stephens Openly Admits Not Having Michael Phelps’ Burning Desire to Win

American tennis star Sloane Stephens is one of the most exciting tennis players on the tour. She won seven WTA titles, including the US Open, back in 2017. The former world number 3 crashed out of Wimbledon Championships 2022 after losing her first-round match against Qinwen Zheng. Earlier, she has a fine run at the French Open where she made it to the quarterfinals. However, she lost to compatriot Coco Gauff in straight sets.

The American is one of the fittest tennis players and has, time and again, stressed the importance of mental health too. While many players out there want to be the best in their sport, the drive of becoming the number one tennis player was never there for Stephens. Recently, in a podcast, she explained her motivation to play tennis.

Sloane Stephens keeps her goals simple

In the podcast, when asked about the drive to become the best in the game. The drive Michael Phelps has, Stephens answered that she just wanted to win a Grand Slam.

“I mean, I love playing tennis and I think my only goal in tennis was to win a Grand Slam. Never wanted to be number 1 in the world,” she said. Further, she said she respects the dedication of Michael Phelps but has her own reasons to not be like him.

“I have so much respect for people like Michael Phelps who wake up and are like I have to do this. I want to win like I love that for you, but I tried it and it stressed me out,” she concluded.

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Certainly, it is not necessary that what works well for one will be good for the other as well. Stephens has her own approach and hopefully, she will keep getting the results she strives for.

Stephens on mental well being

After the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a change in the way mental health was looked upon. Many athletes have expressed their problems and taken a break for the same. However, the 29-year-old has always given it the utmost importance. Having a mother who is a psychologist, Stephens learned a lot from her.

Recently in an interview, she spoke about the importance of self-care. Also, she spoke about various techniques to keep herself healthy and stress-free.

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It’s good that athletes now understand the importance of mental health. With more players coming up and speaking about it, it will definitely set an example for future generations.