Tennis has long been a sport of generational legacies. Some offspring of champions seamlessly step into the family trade—think Sebastian Korda, son of 1998 Australian Open winner Petr Korda, or Taylor Fritz, whose mother, Kathy May, was a Top 10 player; But here’s the thing – not every tennis prodigy kid chased their parents’ legacy. Jaden Agassi chose to swing a baseball bat instead of a tennis racquet, despite having Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf as parents! So what about Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, and one of the sport’s most unfiltered voices? Former World No. 3 recently shared her candid thoughts on whether her future kids would follow in her footsteps in tennis. Want to know what she said? Well, it’s not your typical answer!
Sloane Stephens recently hosted a Q&A session on Instagram, giving her followers an inside look into her life and thoughts. When asked about the best hair care advice, she gave a tip that sounded simple but effective: “Always shampoo your hair with warm water and then finish off with cold water after the conditioner. It’ll save your hair and life lol.”
And Stephens responded to the latter half of the question which asked if she’d put her future kids in tennis. Her answer? Well, it wasn’t exactly what you’d expect! With her usual honesty, she responded, “Future kids may or may not play tennis”
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Though she has no biological children of her own, Sloane Stephens, views her life as a stepmother to Jozy Altidore’s 9-year-old son, Cameron, through a different lens of family. She got engaged to Jozy, a professional soccer player, in 2018 and married him in 2022.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sloane Stephens (@sloanestephens)
This reignited relationship between them, beginning in 2016, saw her quickly take on the role of stepmother. While the couple dated for some time before their brief separation, their relationship was rekindled and swiftly developed-ever so fast. However, she hopes to extend her family through her husband, Jozy Altidore. “I’ve always wanted to be a mother and have a large family one day, including both biological and adopted kids. I think it’s all wonderful,” she shared with Essence last year.
At 31, this 2017 U.S. Open champion took the step and decided to freeze her eggs, so she could focus on tennis without worrying, “I’m considered a veteran on tour at 31 and still very much passionate about competing in my sport, but I wanted to freeze my eggs so that I could focus on the present without fearing what doors I might be closing or making more difficult once my tennis chapter is closed.
It’s a decision that, while still in the distant future, has crossed the mind of Sloane Stephens at times. But before any of that becomes a reality, the tennis star has already begun reflecting on what she hopes her tennis legacy to look like.
Sloane Stephens shares how her legacy in tennis should be
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Sloane Stephens reached a career-high ranking of world no. 3 after she claimed her first Grand Slam title with a win over Madison Keys at the 2017 US Open. But ensuing years have seen a roller-coaster for her, and since then, she has never reached a single Grand Slam semifinal, including her recent first-round loss at the 2025 Australian Open, Stephens now faces a new set of questions about her future. For the first time in years, she’s outside the top 100 in rankings. But is this the end of the story for the American?
While her performances on the court have tapered off, one constant remains: her deep connection to the sport In the same Q/A, When asked about shared how she wanted her legacy after retiring from tennis. Stephens reflected, “I want to leave the game better than just a player, tennis has given me so much opportunity in my life and in return my true belief is that I owe it to myself to help others achieve dreams bigger than mine”
“Tennis has so much opportunity from college scholarships to commentating, running tennis centers, coaching, non profit,” Stephens added.
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Continuing further she said, “Opportunities are endless and I wish more people knew how beneficial tennis can be as a young kid building character to adults building careers. @Sloanestephensfoundation serves about 6k kids each years and that’s what I’m most proud of. Better then I found it is the only goal”
That being said about her legacy, in the immediate future, Stephens would look to grab her 7 career title to its cabinet, starting from the WTA 125 event in Cancun.