Sloane Stephens has a pretty blunt message for those calling on her to retire as the former world No. 3 says there is no need for that since she is still earning pretty good money.
After becoming a Grand Slam champion eight years ago and also winning her first WTA 1000 title at the 2018 Miami Open, the American started to slowly decline from the 2019 season.
While she has managed to win two WTA titles since and remain a regular participant in the main-level events, the last few seasons haven’t been the easiest and the American posted a losing 19-22 record last year after losing her last six matches in 2024.
Also, Stephens was beaten by Ann Li in her 2025 season-opener in Auckland.
And pretty much after every loss, the current world No. 74 gets told by critics and angry bettors that it’s time for her to walk away from pro tennis.
Stephens hits back: You don’t quit a job that pays you well
“People don’t have any filter. They also don’t realize that you’re another human being. They would never say it to your face. It actually prohibits people from putting their lives out there because they don’t want to be judged,” the 31-year-old told
“It’s all about what the athlete can handle, right? ‘You should retire?’ I’m like, ‘If these people are still paying me, I’m not going.’ I think people don’t realize, if someone was paying you a lot of money, you wouldn’t quit your job. You wouldn’t leave your job.”
Sloane Stephens© Sloane Stephens/Instagram – Fair Use
Truth be told, Stephens did earn some nice money last year, collecting $890k despite not having a great season.
When it comes to her career earnings, she has netted $18.8 million in tournament prize money alone.
So as long the American is able to play the WTA-level tournaments, she probably won’t seriously think about retiring.
Tennis World USA