Sloane Stephens sends emotional message after Indian Wells 2025 shock withdrawal

Sloane Stephens' 2025 campaign hit a roadblock as the American tennis player injured her right ankle and subsequently withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. The former US Open champion then took to social media to reveal an emotional message and said she trusted the “universe to guide me in the right direction”.

Stephens, ranked 69th in the world, has endured a tough start to the season and has lost each of her singles tournaments in the opening round, She lost to Ann Li at the ASB Classic as well as the Hobart Classic, before being beaten 6-3, 6-2 by World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open.

The 31-year-old then lost to Petra Martic in their round of 32 match at the Merida Open in Mexico in late February. The former Grand Slam champion took to Instagram on Saturday, March 08, to announce that she had suffered an injury on her right leg that would keep her on the sidelines.

She wrote:

“Got a little boo boo on my foot again 💔 Setbacks are never easy—physically or emotionally—but I trust the universe to guide me in the right direction. Still waking up grateful every day 🙏🏾 I’ll do my best to get back on court soon! Thank you for all the love and encouragement, love you the most ❤️”

It’s been a tough run for the American, who is on a 10-match losing streak. The last time she won a singles match was in June 2024 in the first round of Wimbledon, and she has tasted no success on the singles circuit since. Sloane Stephens has been active on the doubles circuit as well, and her best result in recent times was reaching the semifinals of the ASB Classic alongside Clara Tauson.

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Sloane Stephens slams critics, says “If these people are still paying me, I’m not going"

Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens. Source: Getty

Sloane Stephens has received a lot of flak from fans for her poor run over the last eight months. She hasn’t won any singles matches in that duration and fans have had a go at her, saying she was playing “just for the prize money.” Stephens was critcized widely after her loss to Ann Li at the ASB Classic despite winning the first set.

Addressing the harsh comments directed at her, Stephens told US Weekly:

"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.”

Stephens has been through a difficult phase and the injury makes matters complicated, but the former World No. 3 will hope this break will help her find her mojo and get back to winning ways.