Despite jet lag, Sloane Stephens keeps winning in Madrid with big goals for clay swing

Sloane Stephens scheduled a full Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open, but didn’t expect to spend most of the afternoon on the tennis court.

“I thought I had the perfect day planned,” she sighed to Prakash Amritraj at the Tennis Channel Live Desk. “I booked my massage for 3. I had cupping and needles at 4:15. I was like, ‘Why, today, would I play a three-hour match?’ The one day I’m being super proactive where I’m feeling super great, I know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Look at me, messing up my own stuff!”

The American still managed to squeeze in a comprehensive recovery, but not before talking through the 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Martina Trevisan that lasted a whopping three hours and sixteen minutes.

“I told Darian [King] as I was coming back from the bathroom, ‘I’m going to die on this court today. I am not losing this match after having these match points. We’re just going to be out here forever.’”

Despite squandering a set and 5-3 lead it was Stephens and not Trevisan who emerged victorious out on Court 5, extending her win streak to six in a row after capturing her eighth career singles title at the Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole last week.

The former world No. 3 typically kicks off her red-clay swing at the Caja Magica, but opted to compete at the WTA 250 event in Rouen both to maximize her time on her favorite surface and minimize her jet lag. So far, she has only accomplished one of the two.

“Honestly, I went there to try and fight the jet lag because I’d never really played that early in the clay season. I was like, ‘I’m just going to do something different.’ I spent one day at home with my family before going out there and was like, ‘I’m going to make a little sacrifice and see if it pays off, see if I can get adjusted earlier.’

“Mind you, I came early and have spent 10 days here, and I’m still jetlagged!” Stephens added with a laugh. “So, it didn’t help at all.”

Stephens, who joked earlier in the year that her ranking “never moves”—the result in Rouen brought her up six spots, within seeding range for Roland Garros—has made a point to play a fuller schedule in 2024, making a rare appearance at Middle East events in Doha and Dubai back in February and taking on a week of doubles in Charleston, winning the title with Ashlyn Krueger.

“Kamau always says, ‘Winning breeds wining,’” she explained, quoting longtime coach Kamau Murray, “So, the more you can get under your belt, the more matches, the more confident you can feel. Even in the doubles, I’d never won a doubles title, so keeping it fresh. I was over the moon, excited, in a place where I’d won the singles title already. I also had a good week in singles, so the first week on clay was really nice.

“It’s important to keep it fresh because it can get a bit stale at times. It’s going to be a long eight weeks but I feel like I have some tricks up my sleeve to keep it fun.”

In a bright mood with big goals, Stephens aims to keep the good vibes going in her next match against rival Elise Mertens, with whom she has split their last four meetings; this will be their first on clay.

“Clay neutralizes everything: you have a chance on every ball, you can get your racquet on every ball. I think it helps my athleticism a little bit, gives me more room to run. The courts are a little bit bigger; there’s more space. You can see the guys returning at the fence; there’s just so much happening!”

On her favorite surface with plenty of momentum, all that’s missing for Stephens is a good night’s sleep.