Do people believe Sloane Stephens is the real deal or just USA media hype?

So far this year Sloane Stephens has done well in the grand slams she's 12-3 reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open and quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

I think Stephens definitely has talent, but I feel the girl is believing the USA press media hype. Stephens comes across as cocky, a bit arrogant yet she hasn't won a WTA event yet. After she beat Sharapova last week Stephens said "nobody beats me four times in a row." I mean, it sounds kind of arrogant for Stephens to say this.

However, Stephens still has not reached a WTA Tour final and that's shocking! All the other women in the top 30 on the WTA Tour have reached a WTA final. Stephens still hasn't done it.

Jamie Hampton already reached a WTA final this year in Eastbourne.

I think Stephens proved a lot last week beating Maria Sharapova even though Maria was rusty it still was a huge upset.

However, Stephens loss to Jankovic was disappointing because she had chances to win the match in straight sets.

Stephens reminds me of Chanda Rubin, although the USA media want her to become the next Serena Williams. Yes, Sloane has beaten Serena and Maria but she hasn't backed up the big upset. After a big win she usually loses in the next round.

Rubin like Stephens got a lot of hype when she also reached the Australian Open semifinals when she was 19 back in 1996 but Rubin didn't do anything spectacular. Rubin did reach a career high of number six but she never reached the top of women's tennis.
 

Def

Semi-Pro
Holy crap OP, the horse has been beaten to death here.

much better than some of the other stuff by this poster...

back to OP:

I agree that her attitude is not great, but a good bit of cockiness can be good, no? She does need to back it up with more results though.
 

sureshs

Bionic Poster
If a US player is better than almost all US players, won't the US media focus on her? Isn't that how it is everywhere?
 

granddog29

Banned
Well she is the most promising the U.S has for the moment so of course she is going to get hyped. It is not like she is no talent fluke like Oudin getting hype. She can play. She isnt the next Serena Wililams but she does have potential to be a solid 3-4 slam winner type of career. Not that she will neccessarily achieve this but the potential is there for something of that. Given the dire state of up and comers in the U.S otherwise now, that is alone worth someone getting excited about.
 

AngieB

Banned
Sloane is one of the few players to have beaten both Maria and Serena this year. Keep in mind they are the two of the best women players on Earth. Suffice to say, Sloane is entited to and should be ever bit cocky if she intends on comoeting at the highest levels of professional tennis.

What sets Sloane apart from recent young american upstarts over the past five years is her physicality. Sloane can slug the tennis ball and she's not afraid of a fight.

While some bemoan Sloane, I find her to be breath of fresh air. She is maturing and learning how better navigate the press and tour after a wobbly spring.

Sloane is not the next Serena, but I think she is the future of american tennis. As an american, its hard not to applaud her.

AngieB
 

TheTruth

G.O.A.T.
I think she has the potential to do very well, but she needs to keep her head in the game and stop listening to the pundits. It's the kiss of death.
 

papertank

Hall of Fame
Well that was a really stupid thing for her to say. She's truly talented, definitely not a fluke or one hit wonder, but an attitude like that isn't the mentality of a champion. She has a long way to go before she can be in the same league as the top WTA players.
 

TheTruth

G.O.A.T.
Well that was a really stupid thing for her to say. She's truly talented, definitely not a fluke or one hit wonder, but an attitude like that isn't the mentality of a champion. She has a long way to go before she can be in the same league as the top WTA players.

She's definitely not doing herself any favors. First Serena, now Maria. I guess Azarenka is next. Sloane should have kept that comment to herself.
 

rh310

Hall of Fame
I'm not very impressed by her poor shot selection, which becomes evident when she's not able to win by just bashing the ball.
 

bluetrain4

G.O.A.T.
Weirdly, she has the Slam results to justify cautious hype -- SF-4Rd-QF in her last three slams. 4rd-3rd-3rd-SF-4rd-QF is you go back six Slams. But, not much else in terms of other results.

[I realize 4th and 3rd rounds, while very good, aren't always that incredibly impressive (though they sometimes are), but for a young player to show that consistency and never lose before her seeding is impressive. It shows that she can consistently make it to a round where she will have the opportunity to go up against a top player or take advantage of an open draw.]
 
But what is hype without the results? As some people have pointed out Stephens draws haven't been that tough. At the Australian Open Stephens did beat Serena and I give her credit for that. But Stephens doesn't come across as mentally tough, she hasn't shown the consistency needed at the regular WTA events.

However, besides the slams Stephens record on the WTA Tour is not impressive she hasn't made it to a regular WTA Tour event semifinal or final this year year.
I think Stephens is definitely better than Melanie Oudin but I am not sure she is as good as the USA press are making her out to be.

Stephens looks like she's going to end up like Chanda Rubin, a good player, but not a great one. Stephens is probably going to crack the top 10 sometime next year, but I am not sure if she's the real deal. Rubin did okay at the slams too, but she never had the consistency to be a champion like the Williams Sisters.
 
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Tcbtennis

Hall of Fame
Sloane, unlike some recent occupants of the WTA #1 ranking, has a weapon-- her forehand. She can unleash some vicious winners with it from all areas of the court. On top of that she also has great court coverage because of her speed and athleticism. But at this moment in time she lacks something. She does not have that champions mentality. She gets too down on herself and can look very flat when she's on the court. Serena gets down on herself also but her past results speak for itself. Sloane also becomes comfortable pushing the ball waiting for the error instead of creating opportunities for herself with her forehand. I think that she should spend as little time as possible hitting backhands and should be running around as many as possible (a la Stosur). She's fast enough to cover her forehand side and I think that it would improve her footwork since it would force her to always move her feet. Her off court interviews show that she is quite immature. Hopefully she'll grow out of that.
 

GoaLaSSo

Semi-Pro
If a US player is better than almost all US players, won't the US media focus on her? Isn't that how it is everywhere?

This is so obvious and brilliant, yet people from around the world get so salty when US media is hyping up US players.

They are supposed to hype up their players! They want to get people in the states excited about watching tennis.
 

AngieB

Banned
Weirdly, she has the Slam results to justify cautious hype -- SF-4Rd-QF in her last three slams. 4rd-3rd-3rd-SF-4rd-QF is you go back six Slams. But, not much else in terms of other results.

[I realize 4th and 3rd rounds, while very good, aren't always that incredibly impressive (though they sometimes are), but for a young player to show that consistency and never lose before her seeding is impressive. It shows that she can consistently make it to a round where she will have the opportunity to go up against a top player or take advantage of an open draw.]
There. Thank you for pointing out what others do not give Sloane due credit. Add a win over Maria and Serena this year proves this girl is not a flash in the pan.

The results will continue to improve. She has strategic hiccups in her game that can be ironed-out. Her potential is extraordinary in comparison to other American counterparts. She has the weaponry and physicality to penetrate the top five.

Also, Sloane is the second-ranked player in the US least some forget.

AngieB
 
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AngieB

Banned
Rubin did okay at the slams too, but she never had the consistency to be a champion like the Williams Sisters.
Chanda wasn't strong enough to even compare to Jennifer or Monica in US tennis, much less V and S.

Serena is a generational great and it will be difficult for 99% of tennis players in history to compare to her accomplishments. Its not fair trying to compare a new, rising player in this regard because we don't know how Sloane will develop. What we see is encouraging. Sloane should be given the benefit of the doubt.

AngieB
 

granddog29

Banned
Sloane is one of the few players to have beaten both Maria and Serena this year. Keep in mind they are the two of the best women players on Earth.

Umm the two best current players on earth are Serena and Azarenka, and she fell badly to Azarenka in their only meeting, so she has not yet beaten the two best women players on Earth.
 

granddog29

Banned
Sloane is a future world No 1. You heard it here first.

Hmm predicting someone to be #1 in the WTA isnt neccessarily a big deal though. Just look at Wozniacki, Jankovic, or Safina. However I think she will have a superior career to those epic fail of players, whether or not she reaches the almost irrelevant WTA #1 ranking with it.
 

Phoenix1983

G.O.A.T.
Hmm predicting someone to be #1 in the WTA isnt neccessarily a big deal though. Just look at Wozniacki, Jankovic, or Safina. However I think she will have a superior career to those epic fail of players, whether or not she reaches the almost irrelevant WTA #1 ranking with it.

Fair point.

What I meant was, Sloane and Laura Robson will be world No 1 and 2 in future years, and will win many slams between them.
 

AngieB

Banned
Umm the two best current players on earth are Serena and Azarenka, and she fell badly to Azarenka in their only meeting, so she has not yet beaten the two best women players on Earth.
I said, "two of the best players on earth"

No matter how you dice it, Serena and Vika 18 GS singles titles combined. Maria and Serena combined won 20 GS singles titles, both having won a career slam. Sloane beat the latter, which is a much bigger accomplishment career-wise and psychologically-speaking.

No hype there, just reality.

AngieB
 
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veroniquem

Bionic Poster
I think she's the real deal but she has to improve her mental and attitude during a match. I think technically, she has the potential to become very big.
 

AngieB

Banned
I think she's the real deal but she has to improve her mental and attitude during a match. I think technically, she has the potential to become very big.
Potential. That is the issue. The most potential of any young American player since Venus and Serena graced this sport and the re-emergence of Jennifer.

Would be great to see Sloane and Serena play each other. Great for the US Open and American tennis.

AngieB
 

AngieB

Banned
If a US player is better than almost all US players, won't the US media focus on her? Isn't that how it is everywhere?
Exactly. Sloane is the number two ranked American who has beaten Serena and Maria this year, so its very natural for media attention to migrate her way.

AngieB
 

sillymonkey

Hall of Fame
She's young; but she has got talent. It would behoove her to partake in less social media/silly comments to the press and try for better focus on her game.
 

vandre

Hall of Fame
Weirdly, she has the Slam results to justify cautious hype -- SF-4Rd-QF in her last three slams. 4rd-3rd-3rd-SF-4rd-QF is you go back six Slams. But, not much else in terms of other results.

[I realize 4th and 3rd rounds, while very good, aren't always that incredibly impressive (though they sometimes are), but for a young player to show that consistency and never lose before her seeding is impressive. It shows that she can consistently make it to a round where she will have the opportunity to go up against a top player or take advantage of an open draw.]

she's had decent results in slams this year, but I need to see how she does in the next four slams before I add to the hype. I don't think that there is any cause for alarm if next year's results aren't quite as good as this year's because I think other players will be more aware of her and will likely have scouted or game planned more for her than they possibly did this year. what I really want to see about next year is whether or not she totally goes away like oudin did after she had a "breakthrough". I can acknowledge that Sloane has a lot more game than oudin, but we've been down this road so many times before that i'd rather err on the side of caution. I do think that the US media is so eager to crown the next US tennis great that they would pin that mantle on a panda bear it if could hold a racquet (but the Chinese tennis federation would probably demand credit)! I wish the media would just back off and let her develop without any extra pressure but no one asked me!
 
D

Deleted member 293577

Guest
Real deal. But it seems like she has to play more committed. I get a sense she is taking her success for granted thus far, i.e. coming across as arrogant at times. She knows how to handle the power, but if she can find a way to dictate matches and be more consistent, she will be feared.

Huge upside but not quite there yet, imo.
 

THUNDERVOLLEY

G.O.A.T.
Hmm predicting someone to be #1 in the WTA isnt neccessarily a big deal though. Just look at Wozniacki, Jankovic, or Safina. However I think she will have a superior career to those epic fail of players, whether or not she reaches the almost irrelevant WTA #1 ranking with it.

Fair point.

What I meant was, Sloane and Laura Robson will be world No 1 and 2 in future years, and will win many slams between them.

Not necessarily. "will win" is a separate matter with ranking--if recent WTA history reveals anything. As granddog29 pointed out, Safina, Jankovic and Wozniacki were all #1 players, but could not win a major even if they were the only one on court. Stephens has yet to prove she's got the goods to be that breakout player.

In her two most notable "victories," Serena was injured (and Stephens still needed 3 sets), and Sharapova--now that we know the reason she pulled out of the UOS--may have been suffering from bursitis for some time. In other words, she was not 100% when facing Stephens, thus SS seemingly "beat" another top player...under the similar circumstances.

As for Robson: she seems to have potential & heart for the game, but she needs something else in order to take a leading position in the next generation. Right now, she's interesting, plays well and knows her tennis, but that something is missing. What, i'm not sure.
 

granddog29

Banned
I said, "two of the best players on earth"

No matter how you dice it, Serena and Vika 18 GS singles titles combined. Maria and Serena combined won 20 GS singles titles, both having won a career slam. Sloane beat the latter, which is a much bigger accomplishment career-wise and psychologically-speaking.

No hype there, just reality.

AngieB

By your logic beating Venus right now would be a bigger achievement than beating Azarenka or Sharapova (despite that Sloane is ranked higher and in fact should beat Venus if they play right now), all based on "career achievement".
 

granddog29

Banned
As for Robson: she seems to have potential & heart for the game, but she needs something else in order to take a leading position in the next generation. Right now, she's interesting, plays well and knows her tennis, but that something is missing. What, i'm not sure.

Better coaching perhaps?
 

Vanhool

Hall of Fame
Sloane has great foot speed and forehand. She played a very good, aggressive match against Serena in Brisbane, almost beat her, but she lost. Her AO match against Serena was barf worthy, though. Yes she got the W, but Serena had 2 injuries and nobody would have thought poorly of her if she gave a walkover. That she still thought she had a chance and took it to 3 sets shows how poorly Sloane was playing. Not only quality of play, but attitude, like she didnt even want to win. Then when she finally won, she acted like an arrogant a-hole and bragged about how easy it was.

Yes, I think she has potential. If she can stay aggressive and positive, and continues to evolve her game, she could win lots of tournaments, even multiple slams. Fact is, she's never made a final yet, not even of a lower tier tournament, and her defeat of Serena was a crapfest that no one should be proud of (and if anyone disagrees, they should be forced to watch the whole thing). Sharapova victory, ok. Maybe Masha was t at 100% but Sloane actually did more than stand there and accept a gift wrapped win.

Anyway, hopefully she'll sort out her game and her head, and I hope she matures enough to handle her successes as they come.
 
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Phoenix1983

G.O.A.T.
In her two most notable "victories," Serena was injured (and Stephens still needed 3 sets), and Sharapova--now that we know the reason she pulled out of the UOS--may have been suffering from bursitis for some time. In other words, she was not 100% when facing Stephens, thus SS seemingly "beat" another top player...under the similar circumstances.

As you know, I am a Sharapova fan, and yet I will not make an excuse for her loss to Sloane. Thus I recommend you don't make excuses for Serena's loss to her.

Both victories came fair and square; plus, she has by far the best slam record of the young players thus far. I consider it an anomaly that she has yet to reach a tour final.
 

AngieB

Banned
By your logic beating Venus right now would be a bigger achievement than beating Azarenka or Sharapova (despite that Sloane is ranked higher and in fact should beat Venus if they play right now), all based on "career achievement".
My logic is simple and straight-forward.

Sloane beat two of the best players in the world this year. Such achievement at this stage of Sloane's early career is remarkable and noteworthy for this American when people attempt to infer American tennis is dead.

For better or worse, like her or not, Sloane has the weaponry to derail the best in the world and has proven she can. Once her mental game and focus improve catch-up with her technical game, she is easily top five material. Potential. Sloane has tons. Not so much on Twitter, but she's young and learning. Its why Serena gave her a pass post-Twitter comments.

Go USA!

AngieB
 

THUNDERVOLLEY

G.O.A.T.
My logic is simple and straight-forward.

Sloane beat two of the best players in the world this year. Such achievement at this stage of Sloane's early career is remarkable and noteworthy for this American when people attempt to infer American tennis is dead.

For better or worse, like her or not, Sloane has the weaponry to derail the best in the world and has proven she can. Once her mental game and focus improve catch-up with her technical game, she is easily top five material. Potential. Sloane has tons. Not so much on Twitter, but she's young and learning. Its why Serena gave her a pass post-Twitter comments.

Go USA!

AngieB

Sorry, but your Stephens PR fails when SW was injured, and still took 3 sets to get past her. Moreover, I believe Sharapova was already fighting bursitis when she faced Stephens, hence her bailing out of the USO for that reason.

Stephens has yet to prove herself, as we witnessed at this year's AO, when she was no longer playing an injured player, but the healthy Azarenka, Victoria wiped the courts with her, outplaying her at every turn.
 

Bud

Bionic Poster
Definitely the real deal. Just needs to think more on court, IMO.

As much as as I dislike Stubbsy as a commentator - she made a good point during the Woz match. Stephens needs to 'hold' her put away shots until she ID's which way her opponent is about to run - in anticipation of the shot. Stephens commits to shot direction way to early and continues to get passed.

I also notice on short balls, Stephens like to hit her approach shot right down the middle of the court. I saw her do that 3x the other night and get passed 3x. Coach should tell her to hit the approach shot to the BH and/or preferably down the line - following it in - if possible. Just seemed like really novice mistakes from a world-class player.
 
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AngieB

Banned
Sorry, but your Stephens PR fails when SW was injured, and still took 3 sets to get past her. Moreover, I believe Sharapova was already fighting bursitis when she faced Stephens, hence her bailing out of the USO for that reason.

Stephens has yet to prove herself, as we witnessed at this year's AO, when she was no longer playing an injured player, but the healthy Azarenka, Victoria wiped the courts with her, outplaying her at every turn.
Some would argue even an injured Serena could defeat anyone in the world. We've seen that happen, but not against Sloane at the AO.

Injuries and win/losses. Most tennis players carry around some nagging physical and psychological baggage throughout their career. Neither should be used to explain away wins or losses. It comes with the territory. Its professional sports. Excuses not allowed or recorded historically.

Do you honestly believe Maria's has simple bursitis in that rehabbed shoulder? You don't need to keep a coach on payroll if you are going to be absent for a while. Maria is lucky to have stayed in the sport as long as she has. The shoulder issue will end her career. Sooner than some anticipate.

My Sloane PR machine is running quite smoothly, thanks so much!

AngieB
 

insideguy

G.O.A.T.
She has alot of talent. Weird attitude on court. Sometimes hard to figure out if she has the desire to dig deep. I think she does but its just the way she mopes around thats strange. I hope she is able turn her talent into a big title soon. Until then there are alot of women with talent that never won anything and she is in that club right now.
 

rh310

Hall of Fame
Real deal. But it seems like she has to play more committed. I get a sense she is taking her success for granted thus far, i.e. coming across as arrogant at times. She knows how to handle the power, but if she can find a way to dictate matches and be more consistent, she will be feared.

Huge upside but not quite there yet, imo.

Excellent post IMO, and the proof of this is her match in New Haven last (Thurs) night.
 

Vanhool

Hall of Fame
Some would argue even an injured Serena could defeat anyone in the world. We've seen that happen, but not against Sloane at the AO.

Injuries and win/losses. Most tennis players carry around some nagging physical and psychological baggage throughout their career. Neither should be used to explain away wins or losses. It comes with the territory. Its professional sports. Excuses not allowed or recorded historically.

AngieB

I'll jump in on this. Serena chose to play. She could have retired or given a walkover but she didn't, so a loss is a loss. Just because it's now a statistic in a record book doesnt mean that all the things that happened on that court that day never happened and cant be discussed, though.

I totally accept that Sloane's win over Serena was legit. I just don't think it's evidence of Sloane's prowess, which is what this thread is about. Serena's first serve was in the 80s and she was literally hobbling around. Makarova beat Serena the year before when she had a sprained ankle (but no back injury), but she actually showed up and played to win. And when she did win, she didn't act like a egomaniac over it. Sloane played horribly and had that weird mopey(?) attitude and almost lost until Serena's back started spasming (even lost games afterwards). So, yes, a win which will count for all times in the record books, but not evidence of greatness. If you actually watch that match, you could use it as evidence that she's NOT the real deal.

But she is the real deal. I do think that she is capable of beating healthy Serena, and what with the age difference it's inevitable that she will sooner or later. She has the goods to take it to Serena, power and the speed to track down Serena's shots, so it could happen sooner rather than later IF her head is on straight. I really hope it doesn't happen until she's a little more mature....

I would also like it if she won a tournament. Any tournament. She should play some of the lower tier events just so she can learn how to win. Maybe once she tastes the glory she'll be hungry for more and stop wandering off in the middle if matches.
 
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TheTruth

G.O.A.T.
Sloane, unlike some recent occupants of the WTA #1 ranking, has a weapon-- her forehand. She can unleash some vicious winners with it from all areas of the court. On top of that she also has great court coverage because of her speed and athleticism. But at this moment in time she lacks something. She does not have that champions mentality. She gets too down on herself and can look very flat when she's on the court. Serena gets down on herself also but her past results speak for itself. Sloane also becomes comfortable pushing the ball waiting for the error instead of creating opportunities for herself with her forehand. I think that she should spend as little time as possible hitting backhands and should be running around as many as possible (a la Stosur). She's fast enough to cover her forehand side and I think that it would improve her footwork since it would force her to always move her feet. Her off court interviews show that she is quite immature. Hopefully she'll grow out of that.

In her last two matches at New Haven she went on two walkabouts. Her shoulders were sagging and she was looking all forlorn. She got away with it vs. Goerges, but Wozniacki took advantage.

She might have too much going on, TTC's Court Report said she just got two nice endorsement deals, one is Listerine, I don't remember the other one.
 

TheTruth

G.O.A.T.
She has alot of talent. Weird attitude on court. Sometimes hard to figure out if she has the desire to dig deep. I think she does but its just the way she mopes around thats strange. I hope she is able turn her talent into a big title soon. Until then there are alot of women with talent that never won anything and she is in that club right now.

Mope is such a good word for her actions. When playing Goerges she was on fire in the first set. Then, inexplicably in the second set she couldn't keep a ball in the court. Then, in the third she got back on track and it was a pretty comfortable win.

But, the next day against Woz, she did the exact same thing. Rennae was pretty fed up with her attitude, but it was because she said, she wanted so much for her and she is capable of delivering, but looked defeated when the match wasn't over. That isn't cool for your opponent to see.

Woz made her pay, and it was a winnable match for Sloane.
 

Bertie B

Hall of Fame
Sloane will have her big Grand Slam moment/opportunity at age 22. Between now and then she's learning to win.

Ideally she would need a couple good wins and 2-3 titles by this time, and remain consistent if she's to be something special.
 

THUNDERVOLLEY

G.O.A.T.
Some would argue even an injured Serena could defeat anyone in the world. We've seen that happen, but not against Sloane at the AO.

Stephens struggled against an injured player, needing three sets. She then met Azarenka and fell apart in quick fashion.

Conclusion: she had a lucky match, but when faced with a healthy player, her hype could not transform into ability.

Do you honestly believe Maria's has simple bursitis in that rehabbed shoulder? You don't need to keep a coach on payroll if you are going to be absent for a while. Maria is lucky to have stayed in the sport as long as she has. The shoulder issue will end her career. Sooner than some anticipate.

Sharapova is at a critical stage of her career. She's been playing for more than a decade, and has miles on her. After having no answers for the Serena problem, and steadily losing ground to Victoria, she needed solutions--fast. A star coach--one of the most fierce, never-say-die players in tennis history--is the likely reason she called on Connors, even as her shoulder was giving her problems. However, as the bursitis was causing more pain than she could handle, it is reasonable to think she would only enter the USO only to suffer an early loss.

She is better off taking a month or two to recover, than beat herself up to the point where anyone would have her number going into 2014.

My Sloane PR machine is running quite smoothly, thanks so much!

....she started 2012 with a AO/post-AO PR disaster, and still exhibits not too pleasing attitudes on court.

Entitlement issues--particularly for one who has not claimed the top--is not a pleasing thing.
 
"Stephens reminds me of Chanda Rubin" the OP writes. Good heavens, a poster who seems to luxuriate in self-congradulation about being open to alternative lifestyles, but is unable to remove the tinted glasses and think of a black player in any terms other than to compare her to another black player!! Rather unevolved, Amelie! Did Arthur Ashe remind you a little of Louis Armstrong?
 

THUNDERVOLLEY

G.O.A.T.
"Stephens reminds me of Chanda Rubin" the OP writes. Good heavens, a poster who seems to luxuriate in self-congradulation about being open to alternative lifestyles, but is unable to remove the tinted glasses and think of a black player in any terms other than to compare her to another black player!! Rather unevolved, Amelie! Did Arthur Ashe remind you a little of Louis Armstrong?

Great observation.
 
I compared Sloane Stephens to Rubin as I stated for a variety of reasons. Who else could I have compared Sloane Stephens to in relation to this discuss? I already wrote a post comparing Sloane to Melanie Oudin, but I feel Stephens is better than Oudin she's already proven it.

I am not just sure Stephens is as good as the US media say she is. This is why, I decided to compare Stephens to Rubin. Rubin was called the next big American tennis star after Jennifer Capriati when she reached the US OPEN fourth round when she was sixteen. However, Rubin never really lived up to her potential she had so many injuries, lack of mental toughness. I also think Rubin lacked the power or the self confidence to compete with the best players in women tennis.

Rubin and Stephens games are similar too. First, both women reached the Australian Open semifinals when they were nineteen. Both Stephens and Rubin had huge upset wins to reach the Australian Open semifinals. Rubin beat Gabriela Sabatini and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, and Stephens beat Serena.

Rubin and Stephens games are also similar they are like counter punchers and not aggressive baseliners like Serena and Venus.

Rubin just like Stephens also excelled on the clay courts.
 
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