American tennis star, Sloane Stephens recently celebrated her 31st birthday with a victory in the first round of the 2024 Miami Open. Although she turned pro in 2009, Stephens came into the limelight with a semifinal run beating Serena Williams in the 2013 AO. Now after Coco Gauff‘s recent revelation of how the Williams sisters had an enormous impact on shaping up the Black community, Sloane Stephens has stepped in to reflect on her thoughts on the same.

Coco Gauff recently revealed how limited resources she had at the initial stages of her career. She stated how the Black community didn’t have much to access until the Serena and Venus Williams took over the charge of the tennis world. Reflecting the same lines as Gauff, Sloane Stephens added a few more names who made an enormous impact on her career.

“Playing against them was really helpful” – Sloane Stephens on Serena Williams and her sister

On the Changeover Podcast, Sloane Stephens, was asked to describe the pressure or pride she feels coming from her background.

Talking about representing the community, Stephens said, “I think it’s great honestly like representation matters I think when I started playing like Venus and Serena were still playing. Uh, Chanda Rubin wasn’t playing still like Zina, Lori they weren’t but like Lori McNeil is like a big part of my tennis life,” Stephens continued.

She revealed how seeing McNeil play helped her learn the volleys. “I think being able to see her like in action and like help me was helpful right seeing Venus and Serena in real life and then playing against them was very helpful.“

Even Coco Gauff gives full credit to the Williams sisters for whatever she is today. She believes they were the ones to make tennis more popular in the Black community. Something which was quite hard at the time when baseball and basketball were the primary sports to look out for all the Americans.

“They’re the reason why I have this trophy today” – Coco Gauff on Williams sisters after winning the 2023 US Open

Coco Gauff’s speech after winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open last year reflected her admiration for Serena and Venus Williams. She said, “It’s crazy. I mean, they’re the reason why I have this trophy today, to be honest.” Gauff added that it was they who made her believe in her dreams while growing up. 

READ MORE: ‘It’s So Unreliable’- Coco Gauff Gets Compared to Her Idol Venus Williams but Not for the Right Reasons

“You know, there weren’t too many just Black tennis players dominating the sport. It was literally just them that I can remember when I was younger,” said Coco Gauff. The 20YO American tennis sensation added that words can’t describe what the Williams sisters meant to her.

Well, Sloane Stephens has previously won the Miami Open in 2018, can we see a final between her and Coco Gauff this time around? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box.

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