Sloane Stephens shares vile, harassing messages after US Open loss

Sloane Stephens is exhausted — not from the grind of her third-round defeat at the U.S. Open Saturday, but from the abuse and hateful words she ꦯreceived online after her los🏅s. 

“This isn’t talked about eno🌸ugh, but it really freaking sucks,” Stephens wrote Saturday . 

Stephens, the No. 66-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, shared vile messages she received — saying there were more than 2,000 of that ilk following the 28-year-old’s three-set loss to Germany’s Angelique Kerber on Friday. 

There were messages wishing for her to be raped. The🀅re were racist term💙s. There were threats. 

“I promise to find you and destroy your leg so hard that yoౠu can’t walk anymore,” read one.

“𒁃This type of hate is so exhausting and never ending,” said Stephens, an African-American from Florida who won the 2017 U.S. Open. 

Athletes’ previously undiscussed tribulations have taken on a greater platform recently. Simone Biles withdrew from Olympic competition to work on her mental health. Naomi Osaka, who earlier this year declined to speak to reporters, also citing her mental health, said Friday night she “wants to take a break [from tennis] for a while” after tossing her racquet multiple times during her loss to🐈 Leylah Fernandez. 

For her part, Stephens tried to weed through the negativity to fꩵind a bright side. 

“I’m choosing positive vibes ove🥂r negative ones,” Stephens wrote. “I choose to show you guys happiness on here but it’s not always smiles and roses.” 

“Sloane has courageously brought to the forefront an issue that many m🎃odern day athletes are forced to deal with throughout their careers. The unfortunate reality is that this type of vitriol and hate is far too commonplace on social media platforms,” The USTA said in a statement. “The USTA and US Open recognize that this is just one example of the stresses that professional tennis players face. This is why in 2021 we have bolstered our US Open Medical Team to ensure that a comprehensive and holistic approach will be taken with all aspects of player health, including mental health.”

— additional reporting by Marc Berman