WHOOP Podcast - Sloane Stephens, U.S. Open champion, talks mental health, the winning mindset, and peak performance

Episode Date: May 18, 2022

2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens joins the WHOOP Podcast for an in-depth conversation on her career, high performance, and mental health. Sloane is one of the most recognizable American tennis players of the last decade. She became the youngest woman in the top 100 by the time she turned 18 and has reached as high as the third overall ranking in the world. Despite that, she explains how she has avoided placing unnecessary pressure on herself and talks about how obsessing over winning proved to be a detriment to her. She discusses her journey to tennis (1:28), going pro at 16 (5:02), winning the U.S. Open (9:27), mental health and wellbeing (11:28), how she felt before the U.S. Open final (17:04), mindfulness and meditation (19:34), using WHOOP (23:19), strain (26:41), "peak Sloane" (33:19), finding gratitude (37:40), life after tennis (41:42), and the Sloane Stephens Foundation (42:25). Support the showFollow WHOOP: www.whoop.com Trial WHOOP for Free Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

What's up, folks. Welcome back to the WOOP podcast. I'm your host, Will Ahmed, founder and CEO of WOOP. We have a great guest today. Sloan Stevens, the incredibly talented professional tennis player and person. We're going to get to her in a second. A reminder, you can use the code Will, that's WI-L-L, and get 15% off a WOOP membership. Check that out at WOOP.com. Okay, I sit down with Sloan Stevens, the very talented professional tennis player. We talk about her amazing ascent in the world of tennis, turning professional at 16, becoming one of the top 100 players at the age of 18, winning a US Open. We talk about all the things that she did to rise to the top. We also talk a lot about her approach to life and her general attitude towards mental health, the things that she does, the techniques that she has to ultimately stay balanced. I think this is really one of the unique pieces of information that Sloan shares with us. We talk about her Woop data, what she does to sleep well and recover, how she keeps her mind balanced throughout the chaos that is being a

professional athlete. And she also shares some of her favorite athletes that inspire her. So without further ado, here is Sloan Stevens. Sloan, welcome to the WOOP podcast. Thanks. Thanks for having me. You grew up, as I understand in Florida. Did you always know you're going to be this phenomenal tennis player? Oh, no, definitely not. I was not very good when I first started. So I started playing because I grew up across the street from a club and I just was taking lessons. My mom secretly wanted me to be a tennis player. My mom was a swimmer and my dad had played football. So tennis is weird sport in between. And I just honestly wasn't very good, but I turned out to be okay. At what point did you start to realize, okay, I'm good at this?

When I was 15, I started getting approached by agents and like other people in the industry. like just asking if I was going to turn pro or what I was, if I was going to go to college or what my situation was going to be. And that's when it really like kicked in that I was going to have to decide. I was planning on going to UCLA. Like I always wanted to go to UCLA. And so I was approached by an agent and they started speaking to my mom than more agents came. And my mom was like, okay, well, what do you want to do? And I was like, I don't know. Like what should I do? And I think like a year went by and I finally decided to go pro and I was like, I can just do college online. And that's literally what I did. Around that time, you were ranked five in the juniors, right? And so you were

growing up going to a lot of these different tournaments. Do you have any memory of winning a tournament or some battle against another 12 year old or 13 year old? And you're like, this feels right. Like, I want to compete. Yeah, I have so many memories of like my arch nemesis from like the 12 and under's and 14 and unders. But when I was probably 15, like the year I turned 15, I was able to travel international and I won a tournament in Milan, which is a Bonfielio, which is like one of the biggest tournaments, like for juniors. And I made the semifinals of the French Open. So I went on like a good little run there and I was able to play Wimbledon. I won three double slams. Like it was like, it was a good experience. I said my junior career was a good experience because

I didn't travel until late into like my junior career. And then I got to a high enough ranking where I was able to get into other pro tournaments. So I kind of had like a good transition. And when I decided to go pro, I was like in a good spot. But I had so many great memories. Like I traveled with my family. My grandparents came. Like my mom, my brother. Like everyone was like involved in my tennis life, like especially my junior life. And so yeah, it was fun. I honestly like had the best time and I felt like I was able to enjoy it. And it seems like you didn't feel some overwhelming pressure. You know, I've talked to other athletes and, you know, they did feel some level of pressure in those early stages.

For you, it sounds more carefree, more fun. Yeah, and I think that was because I wasn't the best in my age group when I was young. Like, in the 12s, I wasn't number one in the country. Fourteens, I wasn't number one in the country. Like, I didn't have the pressure because it just wasn't that good. Like, I don't think it was because I wasn't that good.

I just didn't... Although five is right there for a junior. Yeah, yeah. Like, that's the thing. Like, I was probably 100, and then I won the really big tournament, which is one of the biggest tournaments, and I semifinaled a grand slam,

a junior slam. So then my ranking shot up. But before that, I was still playing kind of like the smaller like ITFs and stuff. So my ranking, I didn't have the pressure of like number five junior in the world. Like that only happened like the last like two years in my junior career. So I wasn't really that stressed out about it where I think other people like being number one and like the little Mo and the 10 and unders and the eight and unders like I barely started playing tennis. So I didn't feel a lot of the pressure that a lot of the other kids did. And I just did it for fun.

So I didn't really, I don't think going into it, I never was like I'm for sure going to be like an amazing pro. Like I was like, oh, I'm going to go to college, it's going to be so fun, like parties, yay. So you decided you're going to go pro. How old are you? I was 16. And is that a nerve-wracking decision? No, it wasn't. Like I literally was like, okay, well, going to go for it.

I'm going to try it. And I just decided I had already homeschooled most, like all of high school. So I graduated early. And I just was like, okay, I'm going to go for it. I already had, my mom had saved up for my college. I had like a little college situation going on. So I was like, okay, I'll just do it online and see how it goes. And I turned pro and I did college online and that was it.

Now, by the age of 18, I understand you were the youngest person ranked in the top 100. That could be true. I don't know. Well, that's kind of a big deal. But it seems like, again, these sorts of things didn't quite get to you. you kind of had this eye towards how much better can I be I love playing tennis this is fun yeah definitely I always felt like my like tennis was my vehicle like I wasn't I don't know if I was like put on this earth to be like the number one tennis player in the world to be the greatest tennis player

ever like I just enjoy playing tennis and like I feel like after I stopped playing tennis I'll have another career in something else and like there's a lot of life to live like tennis careers are very short you imagine retiring at 35 and then what do you do for the next like 60 years like what what happens. And I think I've always just been like there's so much more than being an athlete. And I feel like a lot of people, you know, when they are playing, they support so many people and the pressure of like supporting your family and the pressure of being a role model and all of these things that come with being an athlete. It doesn't help your performance. Like it literally just stresses you out. Sure. And I think a lot of the times you can't control that because

it's obviously a lot of outside things happening. But regardless of however tennis goes, goes, like, my mom still thinks I'm super cool. And, like, my family members still think I'm great and want to do, like, color me mine and all kinds of weird stuff. So, like, I just, I'm like, my life is good. Like, tennis has been so good to me, but I still have a totally, like, different life to live after. Well, it strikes me that you have a very healthy attitude towards being a professional athlete. I've sat with athletes who talk about it differently in the sense that They do feel like it's their mission to be the best at that sport. And that's what drives them day in and day out.

And I'm thinking of a conversation I had recently with Michael Phelps. And it was like this burning desire and it was all he thought about. And it was overwhelming, frankly. And I think he would attribute it to part of the challenge he had with his own mental health later is dealing with the fact that, okay, he is more than an athlete now and coming out of it. And so listening to you talk about sort of your own. recognition of that even right now in the moment, I think it's quite powerful. Yeah, I mean, I like it. I love playing tennis. And I think my only goal in tennis was to win a

grand slam. I never wanted to be number one in the world. I never wanted to like win. And someone said, oh, you're only going to win one grand slam. You'll never win another tournament. I would have been like, great. That's awesome. So I think for me winning the U.S. Open, like, I just wanted to know what that felt like. And it's not that I don't want to win it again or I want more. It's just that like, that was the only thing I woke up and was like, I'm going to work out today because I want to do that. I want to experience that. I want to feel that. I want to be in the Hall of Fame or whatever it is. I have so much respect for people like Michael Phelps who wake up and are like, I have to do this. Like I want to win. Like I love that.

Like I love that for you. But like I tried it and it stressed me out. I was like oh my God. I'm so. So talk about trying it. When was that? I think like the beginning part of Michael like from when I was probably. 16. 17? Yeah. Like you said like when I got into top 100 from like 18 probably to till I broke my foot when I was like 24 to 2017 so like I tried it and I was just so stressed out with winning

and like obsessed with winning and like my ranking was like who I was as a person and like those things don't like it's not the same and I feel like attaching those two things was like so stressful it was terrible and then I broke my foot and I couldn't play for 11 months and I was like okay

I'm just going to play and like tennis like That's how I make my living. Like, I didn't know if I was going to, like, come back and be the same. Like, I had, like, a pretty big foot operation. So I was, like, who knows? And then I played five tournaments and won the U.S. Open. And I was like, okay, that was all I wanted to do.

So that was cool. What was it like winning the U.S. Open? What was that feeling? It was great. It was fun. Like, it was overwhelming. It was not what I thought it was going to be. It was weird.

Like, it was – I hadn't played in 11 months. So I hadn't done, like, any media. I hadn't done any, like, interviews. I was completely off the map, like off the grid completely. And then, yeah, then my world got flipped upside down. And I was like, this sucks. Like, I had so much work to do. I was so overwhelmed.

Like, I literally just wanted to, like, sit on my couch and, like, FaceTime my friends. Like, oh, my God, like, with my trophy. Like, I was just like, okay, but there was so much work that had to be done after that I was, like, overwhelmed by, like, what was required of me. and I think at that point I was just happy to be playing tennis again I was excited to be playing tennis again which I think after winning the U.S. Open I was able to continue to have good results

because I was just like okay well winning is fun like let's keep doing it and although I didn't win another grand slam I got close I made the finals of the French Open I was happy with that but I wasn't I didn't wake up every day being like tennis is the only thing that matters to me did you feel a letdown after

you know getting to the top of that mountain and winning that thing I don't know if it was a letdown, but it was definitely like, what now? Right. Like, I thought I was going to, like, when the U.S. Open when I was 35, it'd be like that was my last dying wish to, like, win a slam and then go off into the sunset. But then it happened when I was 25, and I was like, okay, what do I do for the next five years or seven years of my career? However much longer I play, I have no idea.

But, like, I think that, like, question mark of, like, okay, what happens now was definitely there. It seems like you're very conscious of how you feel at different stages in your career. And I think some athletes have been more vocal about that or less vocal about that. You've been someone who's talked openly about mental health. And here we are in Mental Health Month of May. What does mental health mean to you? Yeah, I think you have to take care of yourself. There's so many points I think, especially as an athlete, someone who's active, who's traveling,

who's away from home. There's so many different aspects of taking care of yourself and like self-care and self-love. and like just being aware of like what's happening to your mind and your body and like connecting all of those dots and connecting the pieces of like how you're feeling or how something may be making you feel or whatever and I think controlling your environment and the things that you can control like actually noticing and recognizing like you can do something about it I think is important there's been so much of the time where people are just like you're an athlete like just play your sport do whatever you do and I think now obviously there's been more talk about mental mental health and mental awareness and just being conscious of people around you, like your surroundings. And, you know, someone else may be feeling something that is completely different to what you're feeling, but to be respectful of someone else's space in their situation or whatever they're going through, I think we've gotten, as athletes, just it's playing tennis on our tour, we've gotten a lot better at it because we understand that we're traveling

the world 40 weeks a year with the same girls. And some weeks are tougher than others, right? Some weeks are not ideal to be traveling around because you're like, this girl is nuts, like what is going on. And we've had a lot of those. But I think now we're in a place where it's like, hey, guys, I'm not feeling great this week. I'm struggling. Like, don't mind me. Let me do my thing.

And you'll say that to someone you're competing against. Yeah. Now, I think now it's so much more open. Like before, I would say five years ago, seven years ago, like when I first got on the tour, girls were iceboxes. They, like, did not speak. They wouldn't acknowledge you. They wouldn't even look at you.

And now it's like, I know your locker's next to me this week, but like, don't talk to me. Like, I'm really going through it. Like, leave me alone. Like, and I think that's so much better than just, like, being rude, like, being mean. Like, we all go through different things all throughout the year. And sometimes, like, there's, you know, things that happen on tour that someone passed away or someone's, you know, grandparent got sick or whatever. Like, there's so many life. that you deal with along with, like, your sport.

And I think never before have we been supportive enough, like, as a tour for women's tennis. I think now we're in a good place where, like, we're, there's so many life things that happen in the world. And I think now we're much more supportive and much more understanding of, like, our surroundings. But just because I think we've, we've had a lot of a conversation about it and, like, being open about our feelings and what's happening. And I love it. I love talking about my feelings, which I know other people sometimes are not.

But I'm like, look, like this is, you know. Well, you have a very open way about you. You know, it's refreshing. And many athletes keep things much closer to the chest. Almost, I think, is a way to protect themselves. And I think it also gets harder when you reach that profile and your status is a professional athlete and you have fans and media.

And a healthy defense mechanism can be to be a little more closed off. Right? It's like a protection. It's like an extra layer. it's a buffer, it's your safety net, all of those things, like, that make you feel a little bit more comfortable. Like, I think athletes are already a little bit uncomfortable, whether it's, like, just walking down the street and being recognized, like, a lot of those things, like, if someone comes up to me and, like, touches me, and I'm like, ooh, who are you?

Like, thinking, like, that someone I know, it's like, no, it's not, like, my mom's, like, co-worker. It's literally a random person that I don't know. Like, I think a lot of the time, like, dealing with that, like, people don't understand, like, it's very, it's very stressful being an athlete. I think a lot of fans don't necessarily realize that, that you kind of have to put on your armor some days to go to work, right? Yeah, like, it's not always, like, super chatty and fun. It's, like, each athlete deals with their focus or their concentration or they're, like, get ready or whatever it is very differently, right? Like, some people, like, complete silence. Some people like to, like, lay in a dark room. Some people, like, there's so many different things.

I know that people do that I'm like, whoa, like, I couldn't do that. I'm like, whoa, like, I couldn't do that. Some people have to eat six bananas and like, whatever. Like, there's, that's just how they get ready, right? And I think as fans, no one's ever really seen what that, like, behind the scenes is like. So they just assume that it's always like, yay, like all happy. And we're like, no, like, you're probably about to, like, bite your coach's head off. You're probably about to, like, hit your, your hitting partner because they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing. Like, there's just so many things that people don't see.

So they don't really understand, like, what that's like. And I think that is where the disconnect sometimes happens. And then they're like, she was so mean. You're like, no, I was just literally getting ready for my match. For you, what are some things that you do to put yourself in the right mental state? And let's start with the right mental state for just daily life. The one thing that, like, helps me in life is if before I go to bed, I'm actually in the bed for like an hour before I go to bed. Got it.

Like, I need a lot of time in the bed. to like relax and like maybe watch TV maybe play a game on my phone like whatever it is like I need to like sit there and just so your bed is kind of a sanctuary yes but it's many beds across the world because I'm traveling so much all beds are sanctuaries so it's like all beds are sanctuaries especially if you're feeling like overwhelmed you're traveling you're like there's so many things I think the bed is where I found like okay I'm going to like get here and I'm just going to like relax. How about before a big match? Finals of the U.S. Open. What did you do the morning of that match? I went to Starbucks and I remember that my

log in like wasn't working and I was texting my mom like what is your Starbucks login? Like I want to get the points like it's not it's not letting you log in. This is a real life. And my mom was like across the street like she was at the hotel still and I was like it's not letting me log in. and I walked and then I walked back and my coach came to the room and he was like oh I've had your laundry for two weeks I just wanted to drop it off and then after he told me he was like I just felt like you were going to be so nervous so I came to check on you so I was like okay like can you get out like

he hadn't come to my room the whole entire two weeks I was like why are you here like he's like oh I had your laundry from four tournaments ago that he was like I'm bringing to you and I was like this is weird but okay and I just was like literally in my room watching TV, I was watching the news. So you seem very happy-go-lucky. Like, it was just sort of roll with it, see what happens. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, in a way, it's almost like, because you've had mellow expectations for

yourself at every ascent of your career, it's been exciting and stimulating. Yeah, it's been fun. Like, I remember that US Open, I played Venus Williams, which was super cool. I played her in the semifinals. It was four Americans in the semifinals of the US Open, which was super cool. I played her, I won, we were in the room, my mom was in the room, I was eating my room service, and we were just talking, and they replay the highlights of the US Open on ESPN literally like all night long. So you wake up and you see it and like, it's just on the TV all the time.

And so the little ticker was going across and I remember being like, mom, holy cow, I was like, I just made $900,000. I was like, I'm rich. I'm like, I'm going to be so rich. And she was like, well, that was only the semifinals. I was like, I made more. than that I was like literally beside myself I was like I cannot believe it and obviously I hadn't played for nine months I was like I'm good like I'm sad I'm gonna buy a new house I like had all these dreams of like doing all this crazy stuff and then when I won the os open why I was so shocked because it was like three point four million dollars or something and I was like I can stop playing tennis now I was like I'm good like I'm sad I'm like this is so good I was like that is so much money like

I like those things to me were just like so wow Wow, like, that's so great. And maybe it's just that you've got this positive mindset that's constantly talking to yourself. Do you have techniques around meditation or visualization or anything like that? Yeah, so my mom's a psychologist. So when I was younger, I did a lot of visualization, like a lot of meditation. I was like her little, like, test dummy, I guess. So we would like practice together, practice breathing techniques, like do all of that.

And I think now, like, as I've gotten older, I use. them a lot more in my regular life than I do like in my tennis life. Like I know like when I'm feeling overwhelmed, I'm like, okay, let's close the eyes. Let's like, let's try to get back to center because I feel like in my tennis life, I can control a lot of the things and expectations that are around me or like out of my zone, like my tennis world. Real life is where I feel like I struggle more with just things having to do a lot of different things, right? And be an adult and like have a life. I think everyone would say, like, as you get, like, whatever, I went to the eye doctor today, and they're like, you have all these things wrong with you. You're blind as a bat. And I'm

like, this is like adult life stuff. You know, it's like it's great life. Well, that also could affect your tennis, by the way. I actually asked the lady, I was like, okay, I can't see out of my right eyes. So I was like, do you think this is affecting my tennis? And she was like, yes. I was like, oh, okay. Well, again, now another life thing that I'm like, okay, I have to process this. So I think my outside life, I've had to learn to like woo saw a little bit more and like actually use those techniques in real life. And you just do them when you feel like you need them. It's not like I always do this thing before a match or there's none of that.

No, like I'll say to my coach or like my hitting partner or my trainer, I'll be like, okay, let's 30 minutes or 30 seconds of silence. Or I'm like, okay, everyone huddle up, 30 seconds of silence. And be like, think calm, happy thoughts. Then we go do whatever. Then I'm like, okay, go team, break. And then we all scatter. Just kind of like a reset because I feel like a lot of time you're like going, going and you don't stop.

Like there's never like a pause. I feel like now that I've gotten older, like I need a pause at some point. Like when I get overwhelmed, I'm like, okay, pause. Like, let's figure it out. Do you ever do that between points? Like think to yourself pause or are you just kind of in the? No, I think I like as I've gotten older and played and stuff, like I can recognize. recognize when I'm like going too fast or like so like in my tennis game like that means like

I'm playing the points fast or like my rhythm of the points or like my cadence is too fast and I can be like okay slow down like take a few more steps a few more bounces a few more this few more that and like I kind of like can manipulate my pause just in a different way well it doesn't surprise me that you learned how to take pause in your daily life and then you figured out how to translate that to being a competitor. Yeah. How long have you been on whoop? I've been on whoop just over a year.

And how do you use it? Every day. Talk a little bit about, okay, you've got this bedtime routine, for example. You like to be into bed an hour before bed. What are other things that you do to sleep better? I can't train after 5 p.m. I can play match after 5 p.m. I don't train after 5 p.m.

Interesting. Yeah, like I don't get good recovery if I... Work out too late. Work out too late. Which I used to do a lot of just because I just got used to doing, like, having two trainings a day or you know trying to spread them out being in south florida a lot it's like it's hard to recover if it's like super hot outside whatever it is so like i've noticed that if i train later like the next day i'm affected and then obviously the next day until i have a day off like

i'm kind of like behind the eight ball so i try to not train past 5 p.m i try to not eat past 745 like if i'm doing like a serious training block like and like whoop has helped me kind of of like figure out what works and what doesn't work. So I know like the food thing, the training thing. I know I need to be in bed for like those two hours before actual sleeping so I can like relax. Like all of those things kind of, I guess you think it, your trainer thinks it. They tell you what they think about it. But now like you can act, I can actually see like, oh, I slept good last night. Like I can go hard today. Or I slept like poo last night. I want to take it slow. So I think having that is so helpful just because I don't have to like whine to my coaches

about what's happening. Like this is actually what's happening like with my body. You've got the objective data behind it. In terms of things that you've seen boost your recovery, you talked about you know, if you train too late in the day that often it could have a negative impact. What are some things that you've seen have a positive impact? Getting good sleep. Like if I wake up green but I need to wake up at like seven and be awake for an hour before like I do anything interesting so like if I get that then I'm like good to go like I'm fully awake if I roll out of bed at like 730 like off of the alarm and I try to get into training by like 750 and like warm up like I'm a zombie right like I need like a good sleep and then so like a wake up

period where I'm fully awake and invested in the day. And that's, like, helped me a ton. So you average about two hours and 40 minutes of REM and slow wave sleep. That's pretty good. Thanks. Six hours and 40 minutes of total sleep per night. So you can be getting a little more sleep. Definitely. Do you feel like you don't have enough time in the day? Yeah. Doesn't everybody, though? Yeah. Everybody wants more time. But it's a question, I think, of priority. But that's the thing. Like when you're doing, for me, like, afternoons are, like, recovery.

So if I'm doing, like, Norma Tech, if I'm getting a massage, if I'm, like, doing anything like that, like, I feel like that takes up, like, eats a lot of, like, your day. So say I work out, I train, and then you do, like, two hours of recovery after. Like, you're not getting home until, like, seven. Like, it just, like, makes the process so much longer. So then I feel like that part eats up your day. And then when it's actually time to, like, relax and, like, just get in the bed, Like, you're still doing stuff because you're catching up from, like, what you miss,

like on your computer or on your phone or your emails or whatever it is. And that's when you're not supposed to be on your phone or your emails. You chose to be relaxing. Have you tried wearing blue light blocking glasses? Wait, I just ordered them today. Okay. You're going to like them. I just got them today.

So those are going to boost some of your sleep stats. I'll tell you. Really? Yeah. It works? They're amazing. I'm addicted to them. I wear them every single night.

I look a little ridiculous, but I wear these red glasses for anywhere between 30 minutes. and two and a half hours before bed. They allow you to do all the bad things. Okay. You're allowed to be on your phone. You can be on your computer. You can watch TV. Okay.

Up into the second you go to bed. But because you're blocking the blue light, it doesn't signal to your mind to stay awake. And therefore, your REM and slow wave sleep is meaningfully higher. Yeah, so you're actually tired. Like you... Yeah, they make you sleepy.

I love that. I'm a big believer. Let's talk about strain for a second. a second. What are some workouts that drive a high strain for you? So matches drive a high strain for me. Roughly what strain? 20. 20 for a match. Yeah, 20 for a match. Okay. I would say... It's high, by the way, but yeah. Is it? Yeah. People who were in the marathon yesterday probably got between a 20.0 and like a 20.7. Really? Yeah. Oh, well, so I'm basically running. So some of your matches probably feel like a marathon to your body. Wait, so am I like out of shape or am I,

No, it could be that these are just hard matches Yeah, no, they are hard matches They are a match So I would say a match is like 20 And then I would say Training a good Between 10 and 12 Every session which has been good

And sometimes you'll do two of those in a day Yeah So you probably end up with like a 15 or 17 Yeah, it doesn't accumulate to 20 So I would say like if it's like 10 and 10 Then I'm still Yeah, I'm like at a 15 Or something like that

and then I would say like now in this training block I've done a ton of weights so I'm not getting like the high strain like I'm getting the activity but not like a super high strain because we're doing a lot more like lifting like RDL single like stuff like whatever which kind of it's kind of there but you're calculating it in your head right so you know like this morning I woke up I was like I'm so sore I feel like I'm dying but my strain says I'm okay so I kind of have to like work that in. For where you are in your career, are you focused on strength training, are you focused on flexibility, or you focused on agility or strokes? What takes you to the next level from a

training standpoint, if anything? Got it. So like my tennis is my stroke, my technique, it's there, it's not changing. Like I'm too old, yeah, to change anything. I will say a lot of injury prevention just so I don't like pull a hammy or do any thing that I shouldn't be doing. And then I would say, yeah, just being like in really good shape. COVID, I gained 50 pounds. So I lost all of that. And then then I was like, okay, now I'm going to be an athlete again.

And so now just like maintaining that, doing lots of like dexas scans, like body fat, composition, like that stuff, just making sure I'm in good, like, physical condition. And for the weight game period, was there any strategy there or was just you not being a professional athlete for a period? No, what is so crazy is that for COVID we had a trainer come and live with us. Literally, both me and my husband gained a ton of weight and we were working out twice a day. Like the hardest I've ever worked out in my whole entire life. So did you put on a lot of muscle? Yeah, a lot of muscle.

You said a different body? A lot of, yeah, I just had like a different body. I look like a bodybuilder. Like literally, like a lot of muscle, a lot of protein shakes. like just going super hard, but like I needed to go the opposite way. Was your tennis coach when he saw you, like, wait a second? He was like, what happened to you? And I was like, bro, I've been working out every day.

And I was like literally working out so hard. Like, it was exhausting. And I was like, how am I gaining weight in this process? Like, literally. And then I lost 48 pounds, like post-COVID. Over what period of time? Five months. Was that something that stressed you out?

Or it was just sort of like, This is what it is. No, I was just like, I'm pudgy. What the heck? I've never been, like, pudgy in my life. So I was like, this is so weird. I was like, what is going on here? I was baffled, honestly.

And I worked so hard, and I was like, this is not where I want to be. So then I just, I went the other direction. And then I lost a little bit too much weight. And then I had to gain some more back. And, like, it was a process. Is weight something that you would think a lot about as an athlete or is a bit of an afterthought? No, definitely not. Like when I won the U.S. Open, I was on the pudgy your side just because I had foot surgery. So I wasn't doing as much like running in cardio and I had just come back. So I always say like, however you feel good, that's good. Doesn't matter what the scale says. As long as you're like in good health and you feel good about yourself or what you look like, when you look in the mirror and you're like, I'm cute. I'm sexy. I'm whatever it is that you need to be. Like great. Right. And I think when I was a little bit on the thicker side, as men like to say, like I was like, okay.

Like, I don't love it. I've never been here before. And I was like, you know, the scale doesn't, I wasn't like, oh my God, like I'm 100 and whatever pounds. Like I was just like, okay, no, I don't like it here. And then I just kind of snapped back. Went the other way, yeah. And for you, was that mostly optimizing your diet?

Do you have very specific diets that you follow, nutrition in general? Not specific. I have a ton of food allergies. So I try to stay away from those things that I'm allergic to. But in general, I like to eat before a certain time. I like to, like, wake up and have, like, an oatmeal or a Starbucks. I just started drinking Starbucks recently, so, like, consistently.

So I like to do that. I like to eat the same thing a lot. So I either, like, wake up in the morning, have a bagel or oatmeal. Pretty consistent. Have, like, a late lunch. I kind of do the same thing every day I'm pretty boring But you also seem somewhat flexible

Like if you didn't have The meal you thought you were going to have Before a big match You'd kind of roll with that Yeah like I'm one of those people I don't believe that Because I didn't eat the sushi before the match Like that's what lost me the match

I lost the match because I was unprepared I lost the match because the girl played well I lost the match because it just wasn't meant to be that day Like I'm accepting of those things where I think a lot of athletes put a ton of emphasis and like pressure on it was like that because I didn't do this or not because like my training was bad leading up it was because I didn't eat the piece of bread which was supposed to give me energy which is like like dissecting all of that well I mean sometimes there's there's reason to like okay you need more energy you need

this or you need that what is something that you would say you are maniacal about if anything Nothing there. Yeah. It's pretty amazing. It's refreshing in a sense. It shows that you can have exceptional performance in your own way. I know so many athletes who in certain ways are completely obsessive or maniacal about filling the blank thing. Yeah, I feel like I can reach, like, peak me or peak Sloan by, like, giving my best effort and everything that I'm doing.

How do you define Peak Sloan? I wake up. And I'm like, today's going to be a good day, no matter what. So Peek Sloan is, is you having a great attitude? Yep. And just, like, being ready to take on whatever is going to happen. Yeah, whatever's going to happen today. I mean, in many ways, that's a very positive mental health message for the masses, right?

Yeah. For you, Peek Sloan does not necessarily mean winning the next U.S. Open. It's actually just waking up and feeling like you're fulfilled. Yeah, or that I could win the U.S. Open. Yeah, or that you're capable of it. Yeah. I think not putting too much pressure on, like, what you're going to wake up and, like, attack. And, like, I'm going to get a 13 strain today because I said I was going to do it.

If I don't get a 13 today, it's okay. But, like, did I do everything that I could to, like, maximize my workout or maximize my walk or maximize whatever it is? Like, I think people forget to maximize whatever they're doing so that they get something out of it. Yeah, you seem very forgiving with yourself. too, which is healthy. Yeah, be nice. Yeah. It's so nice to be nice to yourself.

Like, you only have you. That's true, but I don't think it comes as naturally to people, you know. And I think it's probably one of the issues that people face on a daily basis is their own self-evaluation. And that voice in their head that's very critical of themselves, right? Yes, I agree. I think that just being around other professional, like we've, obviously, I don't, play a team sport. I play an individual sport, but feel like I'm on a team because I travel around the world with the same people literally every single week. It's a bubble. Yeah, it's definitely

a bubble. I just feel like there's a lot of times and points just throughout my whole career where I've been like, wow, like, that person is not happy. Like, you're not waking up and going, like, I enjoy playing tennis or I enjoy traveling or I enjoy whatever. Like, I tell all my friends, like, what are you like grateful for today? Like, are you happy to be on earth? Like, are you happy to be with the earthlings, like, what's going on? Like, I feel like sometimes everyone has, like, their down moments where they're unhappy or they're whatever, but you have to, like, be aware, like, okay, that's not where I want to be.

Like I said, when I was fat, that's not where I want to be. You have to bounce back. And you mentioned, what are you grateful for, gratitude? Is that something you have a practice around? Is it something you're conscious of that you're kind of constantly reminding yourself to be grateful of things? I think so. Like, I would say the grateful thing is I ask all my friends at.

And the other thing that I ask all of my friends, which is, like, become a really big thing, I always say, like, what do you love about yourself? Because everyone can, like, be really negative about certain things or whatever. And, like, it overwhelms you, I would say. So when you have to, like, think about something positive, you're like, oh, actually, it's not that bad. Or, oh, like, I'm not that bad. Like, whatever it is for you.

Like, you forget to be like, I actually really love myself. Well, one thing that plagues, I think probably a lot of people, is this sort of misconception. that grateful leads to complacent. You know, hard-driving people, myself included, I think can struggle with this idea of appreciating what you have or appreciating what you've accomplished or being present in the moment and grateful for it

while still having motivation to do the next thing. And often people will skip that sort of grateful step and then just be jumping to the next thing. Yeah, be like, why am I not here yet? And then they'll get to that thing and realize it's not enough and be chasing, you know what I mean? It's like you're constantly chasing whatever it is. And I always, I'm always like, man, when you are however old or whatever, when you are whatever age, like you are like, I want to be a professional tennis player.

I want to be making this amount of money. I want to be doing this. And like you can be doing all of that. And like at some point where you are is what like where you prayed you would get to. And like you never stop and be like, oh, I'm here. Now I'm trying to get somewhere else because I've accomplished this goal. They always skip the part about like, oh, like, I wanted to get here. Like, I wanted to be a pro tennis player.

I wanted to do this. And then they're like, okay, well, I don't want to do this anymore. I want to do that. Did you find all of this mindset for yourself? Like, was this something your parents really sort of taught to you, siblings? Like, where did this understanding of, I would call it happiness come from? I think my mom, like my mom's a psychologist. So we kind of always just like speak about, you know, like happiness and trying to,

to understand yourself. And like you said, I think a lot of people lack self-awareness and, like, just self-evaluation of, like, where you are in your life. And I've always been very vocal. I think it's something my mom just taught me, like, when from young, just to, like, to speak about it, to have those conversations. And I think growing up, my grandparents are always, like, spend the little extra money, like, buy the purse, like, do, you know what I mean?

Like, just be happy, like, you know, get the extra piece of cake. I've always just thought, like, is it okay, that one piece of cake isn't going to kill me. One hour staying up late is not going to kill me. Like, if it's what genuinely makes you happy and, like, helps you get up and be a better person, then that's what you need. But everybody needs something different. Who are athletes, individuals that you admire or you look up to? Ooh, there's so many. I really love LeBron, because I just love that he, like, grew up in Ohio and, like, was a normal person and then became who he's,

became obviously I love Kobe like I think people who have like experienced crazy amounts of like greatness and success and their sport are just super cool because they're so interesting because like they were when they were nothing or when they were like someone's son at three years old like thinking like wow they're going to be this like it's so cool like I never would have grown up and been like yeah I'm for sure going to win the US Open and I'm going to be ranked number three in the world and like all like you never think that right so like to look at someone's story and understand like where they came from those people are super cool well it's interesting you mentioned like Kobe Bryant for example like I bet if he were sitting in on a conversation like this

he would have said no like I did know I was going to win all those championships like I woke up every day knowing that you know and he actually would have had probably a different attitude in a way to how he talks about success than you yeah definitely but to me I'm like he's just super cool Yeah, but you still admire it and still... Yeah, it's awesome. Like, I respect, like you said, like, Michael Phelps, like, I respect that he, like, woke up with, like, a burning passion to be that.

That. Yeah. I don't even... You can't even describe what that is. Like, you can't describe that mindset. Like, that's something that very few people have. Like, there's only one Michael Phelps. True.

There's only one Kobe Bryant. Like, those, like, to get to that place is incredibly difficult. Like, there can only be one person that can do that, right? There's, like, only one person that has... that mind and is able to like convert on that success like able to convert on on those winds and like that's incredible well it's it's a fascinating combination of exceptional talent and an overachieving mindset right often super high talent doesn't come with also being an overachiever right and that's true and many of these sort of standout athletes i think are that when you think about what's

dare I say in the years that follow your tennis career what comes to mine oh man I don't know I'm getting so old and we're just clarifying you're in your 20s right I just turned 29 two weeks ago okay so I'm getting older for tennis it's older older older for tennis sure yeah not in life though I told you that before like you know this has been a very thoughtful conversation about life I mean 29 years old you're young to life I know in regular world yes I'm young I'm thriving. It's great. But for tennis, like, people would normally retire, like, between 30 and 35.

So I could have a lot more. I could have not that much. Who knows? You strike me as someone who's very present. So that would lead me to think you're not spending a ton of time thinking about life after tennis. Is that fair? That's wrong, because I literally just wake up every day and try to figure out what I'm

going to do after I retire from tennis. But I definitely want to have kids. It's, like, one thing that I'm. I just got married recently, and, like, I do want to have kids. Thank you. Not right now, but just life planning, having kids, doing things that I love to do. Like, I love teaching tennis. I love working with my foundation. I love helping. Like, I love, I just, I love so many different things. And I think tennis has afforded me the opportunity to see so many parts of the world and and meet so many people. And I think narrowing in on what's most important to me.

and what my passions are has been interesting. Talk about your foundation. I love it. Oh, my gosh. So we're based in Compton, California. So we work with the school district. So we do high school, middle school, recess, tennis, and we're in all elementary school and middle schools in Compton.

We've redone all the black tops and all the schools, so the kids can apply to recess. Obviously, they've taken recess out of schools, which is terrible for the kids. So we've implemented tennis at recess, which has been really awesome. We have Saturday tennis. The kids are starting to play tournaments. We had our first girl last year go to college, go to a community college on a scholarship.

So really cool. Wow, we're into it. Yeah. So, yeah, we've done so many different things. But I think just in general, helping those kids, like obviously tennis has given me so much in my life. Like I said, tennis has been a vehicle for me to meet people and do all these amazing things. And I think in Compton, in a community where tennis has given me. is considered like a rich sport, like people wouldn't even attempt to play. They wouldn't

attempt to take lessons or anything because it's a, it's a multi-step sport where you need a racket, you need balls, you need a net, you need a court, you need a coach, you need someone to play with, like, whereas basketball, you pick a basketball, you need a hoop and you, whatever. And most of the time your friends are like making a hoop for you and that's how you play, right? So it's like, you know, having tennis be a very difficult entry-level sport. and making it accessible to kids all over the country who might want to play, but especially in a community like Compton

has just been one of my biggest passion projects just because I know there's so many good athletes or so many families, there's so many kids that would love to play tennis and just never had the opportunity. And if people wanted to learn more about your foundation or give back, how would they do that? It's just Slone StevensFoundation.org.

Pretty simple. Everything's on the website. We do so much stuff. Like we're on Instagram that we follow everything, everything in the school district, all of the kids' tournaments, all the kids play, everything is on there. And yeah, we're just, you know, connecting as many kids to tennis as we can. Well, I think it's a great cause. And I also have really enjoyed this conversation. It's amazing hearing your attitude towards life and everything beyond just tennis.

And I think it's very refreshing and it's needed in kind of this moment of as I think society comes out of what's been a terrible global pandemic and there's some mental healing that's going to need to come with that. And I think a lot of people are going to, you know, be looking for powerful voices. And I think you're one of them. Thank you.