Sloane Stephens Declares Herself ‘Ready for the Next One’ After Loss in Brisbane

The athlete is looking ahead to the Australian Open, which begins on on Jan. 14.

Sloane Stephens.Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The New Year brings lots of things: resolutions, resets and, of course, the start to the tennis season. Each year, the professional circuit gets off to a fast start with the Australian Open, the first of four major championships throughout the season, slated for mid-January. But it’s not always the first tournament of the season for players.

Several of the names we’re used to seeing in the final stages of the draws for all of the big tournaments (think Caroline Wozniacki, Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal) have taken to Australia ahead of the mid-month kickoff to the Grand Slam in Melbourne with the hopes of building some momentum to start the season.

Among those who headed Down Under early for a chance to prepare for pro play is American professional Sloane Stephens. The 30-year-old left for Australia in order to play in both the singles and doubles draw of the 2024 Brisbane International, a WTA Premier tournament.

With a win in the first round of singles play and back-to-back wins in the first couple of rounds of doubles play, Stephens considered her first tournament of the season a success. While we’re sure she would have liked to make it further in both draws, she’s made it clear that her focus is elsewhere. She’s looking ahead to the Australian Open, which is set to begin in just under 10 days.

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“Andd we’re off to the 2024 szn,” she wrote in an Instagram caption following her exit from the Brisbane International. “Positive start! Happy to be here and ready for the next one 💪🏾.”

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