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Sloane Stephens spoke about the heartbreak she felt after losing the French Open 2018 final to Simona Halep.
The American reached her second Grand Slam final just months after winning the US Open in 2017. Here, she faced Simona Halep and won the first set. However, the Romanian bounced back and took the next two sets to register a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win and clinch her maiden Grand Slam title.
Sloane Stephens appeared on The Changeover Podcast and spoke about her 2018 French Open final loss to Simona Halep, describing it as devastating and heartbreaking.
The American revealed that she cried for almost a week because it was the only tournament she always wanted to win.
“The French Open is like the only tournament I've ever wanted to win. It's been my best Slam, I've made fourth round or up to like the second week of the last 12 or 10 years something like that," she said.
"It's been my best Slam with most matches and I just always wanted to win there and when I didn't it was heartbreaking, I cried for like a week, it was like devastating,” she added.
Stephens was seeded 10th at the tournament. En route to the final, the American defeated lucky loser Arantxa Rus in the first round. In the second round, she won against Polish star Magdalena Fręch to set up a third-round encounter with Italy's Camila Giorgi, whom she defeated. Estonia's Anett Kontaveit was her opponent in the fourth round, and she got the better of her to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Sloane Stephens then beat Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinal and her compatriot Madison Keys in the semifinal before facing Simona Halep.
“It was Simona Halep's time to win a Grand Slam” - Sloane Stephens
During the same interview, Stephens remarked that winning the French Open wasn't meant to be for Simona Halep.
“And I'm able to accept that, that was Simona's time, it was her time to win a Grand Slam, whatever it may be, maybe God would reward me with something else and more greater. But I was like ‘everyone has their moments’ and that was her moment and I was like okay,” Sloane Stephens said.
Stephens is currently participating in the 2024 Miami Open, and she defeated Angelique Kerber in the first round on Wednesday. She is set to face Romania's Sorana Cîrstea in the second round on Friday.
