A year ago, the United States captured its first Fed Cup championship since 2000, with a 3-2 win over Belarus in Minsk. Sloane Stephens, fresh off her United States Open victory, and CoCo Vandeweghe, who had just ascended into the world’s top 10 for the first time, led the way for the Americans.
This weekend, the United States again will play in the final of the Fed Cup, this time against the Czech Republic in Prague. But unlike last year, simply filling out the team has proved to be an obstacle.
Stephens, who just finished as the runner-up at the WTA Finals in Singapore, is “off the grid,” according to her agent, John Tobias.