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While rest and relaxation are on the mind of many tennis players after a long and grueling 2022 season, 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens' offseason travel plans are for a good cause.

Later this week, Stephens will participate in the Africa Cares Women's Tennis Challenge in Johannesburg, an exhibition event in partnership with UNICEF South Africa which aims to celebrate the power that sport has to make meaningful and lasting change. She'll be joined in Johannesburg by Ons Jabeur, Karolina Pliskova, Martina Hingis, and other local luminaries for two days of match play designed to bring high-level tennis for the country and inspire women and girls to strive for greatness.

It's an event that aligns with Stephens' personal and professional values: She founded her namesake Sloane Stephens Foundation in 2013, and the non-profit uses tennis as a tool to improve the lives of under-resourced youth in the United States.

"Of all the travels I've done in my career, this will be my first trip to Africa and it's a dream come true," Stephens wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing her participation.

"I hope to see the ... community at the matches, supporting UNICEF South Africa. The Sloane Stephens Foundation also has some activations planned - I told you we're going global!"

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A post shared by Sloane Stephens (@sloanestephens)

The Africa Cares Tennis Challenge will take place at the DP World Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa from Dec. 3-4 and will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.

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