Sloane Stephens the RGIII of tennis?

[RJD11]

Sloane Stephens the RGIII of tennis?

Sloane Stephens is discovering that it is easier to generate hype than to live up to it

For now, her struggles have been massaged into a different narrative — that Stephens is a “big tournament” player who raises her game for grand slams. This idea is a compliment to the enormity of Stephens’ talent, but if she realized early in her career that she had the ability to be a top-20 player for the next 10 years, she is also discovering that her game is nowhere near good enough to make her a transcendent, elite player. Stephens is finding that talent is not enough. And much like with [Redskins quarterback Robert] Griffin, Stephens is watching as other less hyped players such as Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep produce better results.

As for Stephens, she did not Sputnik after beating Serena; she never got off the ground. The hype machine enjoyed a short Williams-Stephens Twitter spat, but the throne-abdication plotline turned out to be nothing more than words and pictures. Stephens hasn't challenged Williams. She hasn't yet won a WTA tournament. She hasn't even reached a final. In the 22 tournaments she has played since beating Williams in Australia, Stephens has been eliminated in the first or second round nine times.

But Griffin and Stephens can still learn. In a landscape of high compensation and attention for thin résumés, a premium exists on having a true anchor -- to resist the comparisons to 17-time grand slam winners, to dismiss the significance of NFL jersey sales, to remember and believe that being an athlete is far different from being a celebrity, and that doing the work is still the ultimate reward.



http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/10545252/sloane-stephens-trouble-living-hype-espn-magazine

 

[RJD11]

I do not mean to post this article to bash Sloane Stephens.

I actually like Sloane. Its her atitude that needs serious

adjustment. I do not doubt she has the talent and ability

to make a big impact on WTA tennis. But I think it's time

to stop the whining and petty bickering and buckle down

and do the work to realize the tremendous potential she has.

I'm pulling for her.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

She is not aggrssive enough. That is the key problem.

 

[tented]

I do not mean to post this article to bash Sloane Stephens.

I actually like Sloane. Its her atitude that needs serious

adjustment. I do not doubt she has the talent and ability

to make a big impact on WTA tennis. But I think it's time

to stop the whining and petty bickering and buckle down

and do the work to realize the tremendous potential she has.

I'm pulling for her.

I agree. She's clearly talented, but the bright lights/big city aspects of fame have diverted her attention away from what really matters.

 

[Rose]

I was also pulling for Sloane as U.S. tennis really needs some young upcoming players badly! But when she lied to MaryJo about the Davis Cup saying an injury would prevent her from playing, but then showed up in Doha to play a regular Tournament I kind of lost interest in Sloane. If she had told MaryJo she wanted to play Doha like Venus did, I would have been fine with it. But she didn't and why I don't know? Did she honestly think she could be in Doha and MaryJo wouldn't know about it :huh:

 

[golds girl]

I felt like she wasn't serious when all she could talk about in her Serena post-match interview was how she hoped her Twitter followers would increase....is that somehow germane to improving and getting into the Top 20?

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

RGIII is not done neither is Sloane.
IMHO, too much hype is true but that normally happens when lots of talent is obseved. These days, one first becomes mature before they make an impact in the sports. US Football and Pro Tennis are prime examples. It's like, no one comes out of college ranks to dominate NFL or like we haven't seen teenagers like Hingis or Williams dominating the scene at 17 since last century.
These days a 19 year old making semis is huge news....

 

[Rose]

And Justin turns up yet again! The Tennis Channel in the U.S. has a short segment they do with the players called Bag Check. And the player they are doing the segment with takes out the things they have in their tennis bag and talks a little about them. Sloane took out an iPod and started talking about Justin

 

[Si Si Simona]

Beaver or Timberlake? hopeless girls

 

[Rose]

Beaver or Timberlake? hopeless girls

Come on Si you know which Justin I can at least barely stand Timberlake, but not the other Justin :nono

 

[ozza]

I think the problem is Sloane at some point believed in her own hype. Maybe I have bad memory but I remember a far more bubbly player a few years ago. Now she just looks grumpy on court most the time. She was pushed so much after beating Serena, and was hyped as a better player than she really was at the time.

I find it a bit ironic the media writes this type of article when it's probably them that have contributed to her downfall. The hype after beating Serena got too much. She wasn't ready for the top of the game, and since then she's pretty much stagnated while her attitude has changed distinctly.

Part of the problem of course is US tennis is absolutely desperate for a new star. So they are desperate to install one asap. They need someone to write column space after Serena retires. We have a similar thing in the UK with Laura Robson, though I think the reasons are completely different.

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

I think the problem is Sloane at some point believed in her own hype. Maybe I have bad memory but I remember a far more bubbly player a few years ago. Now she just looks grumpy on court most the time. She was pushed so much after beating Serena, and was hyped as a better player than she really was at the time.

I find it a bit ironic the media writes this type of article when it's probably them that have contributed to her downfall. The hype after beating Serena got too much. She wasn't ready for the top of the game, and since then she's pretty much stagnated while her attitude has changed distinctly.

Part of the problem of course is US tennis is absolutely desperate for a new star. So they are desperate to install one asap. They need someone to write column space after Serena retires. We have a similar thing in the UK with Laura Robson, though I think the reasons are completely different.

Ozza,
I saw her play in person and I agree with parts of what you said but disagree with some others.
I think she has enough talent to be top 10 considering all the ladies that hold those rankings, look at Sara, Petra, Vika, Masha, Angie and even to some extent Serena, all are losing points and heading downwards.

 

[Si Si Simona]

I think the problem is Sloane at some point believed in her own hype. Maybe I have bad memory but I remember a far more bubbly player a few years ago. Now she just looks grumpy on court most the time. She was pushed so much after beating Serena, and was hyped as a better player than she really was at the time.

I find it a bit ironic the media writes this type of article when it's probably them that have contributed to her downfall. The hype after beating Serena got too much. She wasn't ready for the top of the game, and since then she's pretty much stagnated while her attitude has changed distinctly.

Part of the problem of course is US tennis is absolutely desperate for a new star. So they are desperate to install one asap. They need someone to write column space after Serena retires. We have a similar thing in the UK with Laura Robson, though I think the reasons are completely different.

Ozza,
I saw her play in person and I agree with parts of what you said but disagree with some others.
I think she has enough talent to be top 10 considering all the ladies that hold those rankings, look at Sara, Petra, Vika, Masha, Angie and even to some extent Serena, all are losing points and heading downwards.

The season just started and many trends will change during the year, but some players really look bad especially Maria who isnt putting her heart in it and not training hard, and Errani.
Petra and Vika just have health problems and Angie is just Angie
A am sure that at present Vika cant finish a 1KM jogging without pain. She needs a serious check on her leg.

 

[Rose]

I didn't want Sloane to defeated Ana :ras: Sloane's head will start blowing up in size again the longer she keeps winning at IW

 

[RJD11]

I didn't want Sloane to defeated Ana :ras: Sloane's head will start blowing up in size again the longer she keeps winning at IW

Too late Rose. Sloane said losing the match was no big deal

and now she is beggin for gifts for her birthday.



INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP)—Sloane Stephens wasn't too bummed about losing her quarterfinal match at the BNP Paribas Open. She's already looking ahead to her upcoming 21st birthday party.

The tennis player has registered for gifts from Target, using the store's online wedding registry. She had to sign up with her name and someone else's, so she chose her mother, Sybil Smith. The party is March 20 in Los Angeles.

Smith emailed guests, telling them, ''She's very strange. Known her since she was little. Just buy her a gift.''

Stephens is asking for 31 gifts — the most expensive being a $306 indoor cycle. The world's 18th-ranked player who has yet to win a WTA Tour title but surpassed $1 million in prize money last year really wants a 12-person, three-room tent costing $299.

''They have this luxurious RV-like camp,'' she said. ''You can rent an RV and they also assemble your tents for you, but it's like a Four Seasons so there are like showers and stuff. Like, it's cool.''

'I'm going to go have a good party and just enjoy life,'' she said Thursday after losing in three sets. ''It's not a big deal.''