When Sloane Stephens won the United States Open last year, she delighted tennis fans worldwide with her joyful celebration, which included sitting beside Madison Keys, her vanquished opponent and friend, to chat and share a laugh.
She played the role of the charismatic champion well. She captivated fans and reporters with her smile and joked that the $3.7 million check she had just won was all the motivation she needed to win more Grand Slam titles.
But 50 weeks later, as Stephens returned to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for a required appearance at the U.