"Deep inside, Sloane Stephens still burns with it; she can have a great run at a Major" - Pam Shriver

Pam Shriver was recently invited by Tennis Channel to give her views on Sloane Stephens in their column, where they analyzed her prospects of doing well at the upcoming US Open.

Stephens has won only 22 of her 48 matches on the Hologic WTA tour this year, in what has been a relatively poor showing.

She will, however, be looking for some well-deserved redemption at this year's US Open, which begins on August 28.

Shriver asserted in the column that the former US Open champion still has the fire within her to go deep at a Grand Slam tournament, regardless of her recent mediocre results.

"But I have a feeling that deep inside, she still burns with it. I still think she can have a great run at a major,” she wrote.

The former tennis player also showered rich plaudits on Stephens for her role as a leading member of the WTA Players' Council.

“She’s a leader for women’s tennis. She has a rich, full complicated life," Shriver remarked.

Stephens herself admitted recently that while working on the players' council is tedious, the fact that she could possibly inspire up-and-coming teenagers on the Hologic WTA tour towards positive change made up for everything.

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"Sloane Stephens has the power, speed, and athletic ability to be a top player," was Pam Shriver's forewarning to the tennis world in 2013

Sloane Stephens poses with the women's singles trophy at the 2017 US Open

Shriver has always been a staunch believer in the 30-year-old's abilities. The former tennis player had said in 2013 that Sloane Stephens would rise to the pinnacle of the sport.

"Sloane's breakthrough is no fluke. She has the power, speed and athletic ability to be a top player. She has been progressing up the ranking steadily for a couple of years," Shriver had said to USA Today back then.

Although it took some time, Shriver's prophecy about Sloane Stephens was eventually fulfilled a few years later.

Having suffered from a wide array of injuries in 2016, she made a scintillating comeback at the 2017 US Open as she defeated Venus Williams and Madison Keys to win her maiden Major title.

The American followed up her Major triumph with finals at Roland Garros and the WTA Finals in 2018. She has struggled with her form since then, though, not having won a WTA title since February last year.