Sloane Stephens Responds To Internet Critics Who Think She Should Retire

Sloane Stephens read all the comments asking him to step down – but don’t expect him to listen.

In a special interview no Us Weeklythe tennis star, 31, has explained how she learned to let criticism on social media set her back more than 15 years in her professional career.

“People don’t have a filter,” said Stephens, who spoke to us in collaboration with Daily Harvest. “They also don’t know that he is someone else. They would never say it to your face. It actually prohibits people from putting their lives outside because they don’t want to be judged.”

Stephens added, “It’s all about what an athlete can handle, right? ‘Should you retire?’ I say, ‘If these people still pay me, I won’t go.’ I think people don’t realize, if someone was paying you a lot of money, you wouldn’t quit your job. You wouldn’t leave your job.”

Related: Tennis star Coco Gauff ‘has no idea’ who Lance Bass is

Coco Gauff’s admission about his lack of 1990s boy band knowledge made us feel old. Gauff, 20, took part in a video Q&A with American tennis stars Danielle Collins and Taylor Fritz, where the athletes were asked to name their first “celebrity crush”. “Lance Bass came across as the safest person ever […]

Finally, Stephens explained that he’s “at his point that I don’t give as—.”

“As an athlete, you have a tough skin in general,” said the 2017 US Open champion. “To the bettors and to the people who say, ‘You should have won, you fool.’ So when people comment on my posts like, ‘Why are you posting this?’ My page. Remove the if-.”

Although Stephens prides himself on his well-worn armor, he admitted that “young athletes have never experienced it.”

“I’m like, ‘Oh, whatever,'” he said of his social media mentality. “If you don’t like what I post, just follow someone else. Stop following me. Block me. Do whatever you need to do. When you feel secure in your world and your life and your tennis and whatever, you don’t react as much to things other people say.”

As for his physical health, Stephens – who still spends 40 weeks a year on the road – is pleased with how her relationship with Daily Harvest began, ironically, naturally.

“During the time of COVID is when I started using Daily Harvest because we were all trying to figure out how to find healthy options,” he explained. “I couldn’t go out and I couldn’t cook. Throughout my career, I’ve had little bits where I’ve gone somewhere for a month. I’ve always liked using meal prep options because it’s easier for me.”

Now, Daily Harvest has unveiled a line of protein-packed smoothies in Vanilla Bean, Dark Chocolate and Mixed Berry flavors.

Daily Harvest has also partnered with Doc & Glo, Stephens’ personal care company, to highlight both brands’ commitment to supporting an active lifestyle and overall wellness.

“When they came out with the smoothie, I saw that I was written all over,” she said. “Very easy, very easy. It just fits. It is true.”