Sloane Stephens 'Serious' She'll Retire from Tennis If She Wins Another Grand Slam

Sloane Stephens is aiming to end her playing career on a high.

Stephens acknowledged to USA Today's Mike Freeman that time isn't on her side, but affirmed she's "serious" about her target of winning at least one more Grand Slam title and then retiring.

"Obviously I'm getting older. I'm 30," she said. "Do I think I'm going to win the French Open? I don't know. Is it possible? Maybe. But like, I just think that I've got a lot of tennis (left) and I think that's a good goal (winning another Grand Slam event).

"I always say it's nice to have something to look forward to. So yeah, I think that would obviously be an amazing feat if I did do that. It would be nice to finish on a good note."

In a January appearance on the Australian Open's Cinema Sessions series, the 30-year-old said she would basically walk away on the spot if she ever wins another Grand Slam tournament.

"If I win a Grand Slam, I'm never playing tennis again," she said. "That would be the last—I'll be like, 'I'll see you guys never.' I'm out."

Stephens preceded that by saying "there's more" when asked broadly whether she has "big plans" in the future.

The door to a second Grand Slam trophy is obviously open as long as the she keeps going, but the odds might be against her by this point. Her lone triumph came at the 2017 U.S. Open, and the 2018 French Open is the last time she advanced to a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

The French Open has historically been Stephens' most consistent Grand Slam showing. She advanced to the fourth round in 2012 when she was just 19. Then came the runner-up showing in 2018 before quarterfinal trips in 2019 and 2022.

Perhaps Stephens can be afforded her storybook sendoff this summer.