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Sloane Stephens Proves Herself the Best U.S. Open Cheerleader With Sweetest Note for Fellow Tennis Player Madison Keys

The professional athlete may have made an early exit from tournament play, but her time in New York isn’t over yet.

Martha Zaytoun

Sloane Stephens prepared to serve.

Sloane Stephens prepared to serve.

Professional tennis player Sloane Stephens may have lost in the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, but her time in New York didn’t end there. Since her three-set loss to Brazilian professional player Beatriz Haddad Maia, the 30-year-old has remained in the city to cheer on her fellow American players who remain in the draw.

Last night, before American tennis player Madison Keys took on the 2023 Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová, she received the sweetest bit of encouragement from Stephens. “Let’s do this baby! Keep fighting! Always proud of you,” Stephens wrote in a simple note that she left in the locker room for her friend.

The official Tennis Channel account shared a snap of the sweet message to Instagram last night following the match.

“We all need friends like @sloanestephens ❤️,” the brand stated in the caption—and we’re in total agreement.

Keys went on to win her match against Vondroušová handily, beating the higher-ranked player in straight sets. Though the 28-year-old has been playing incredible tennis in her own right, we’d like to think that Stephens’s encouragement made her all the more powerful in her latest match.

Stephens’s time in New York hasn’t been wasted, as she’s taking the chance to cheer on her friends since her own departure from the main draw. And despite the first round loss, the athlete intends to come back stronger. “New York there’s really nothing that compares to playing in front of your home crowd. Forever grateful for that opportunity, and although I didn’t get the results I wanted this week, we’re leaning into keeping the positive vibes and I’m ready for what’s next ❤️,” she wrote in an Instagram post following her loss.

While we had hoped to cheer on one of our favorite pro tennis players throughout the length of the tournament, we’re happy to see her take on an important role on the sidelines, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for the icon.

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Martha Zaytoun

MARTHA ZAYTOUN

Martha Zaytoun is a Lifestyle & Trending News writer for SI Swimsuit. Before joining the team, Martha worked on the editorial board of the University of Notre Dame’s student magazine and on the editorial team at Chapel Hill, Durham and Chatham Magazines in North Carolina. When not working, Martha loves to watercolor and oil paint, run or water ski. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a huge Fighting Irish fan.