NEW YORK – Let’s rewind to August 2016. Following a first-round loss to Eugenie Bouchard at the Rio Olympics, then-No. 25-ranked Sloane Stephens announced her withdrawal from the 2016 U.S. Open, citing a left foot injury.
The next 11 months would prove to be a rollercoaster for the 24-year-old American, such as it is when an athlete embarks on the lengthy, grueling road to recovery in the wake of a serious injury. After undergoing foot surgery to repair a stress fracture in January and a stint as a commentator and contributing reporter for Tennis Channel during Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston, Stephens progressed from a “peg leg” to a walking boot, and then some modified on-court drills.