Who is Sloane Stephens' fiance? Tennis star suffers vile racist abuse after defeat
American tennis pro Sloane Stephens took to Instagram to reveal how she received a torrent of angry messages on social media, including racist and sexist abuse, following her third-round loss to Angelique Kerber at the US Open. On Saturday, September 4, she shared in her Instagram Story, “This type of hate is so exhausting and never ending.”
Stephens further wrote following her US Open loss, “This isn’t talked about enough, but it really freaking sucks.” She added, “I’m happy to have people in my corner who support me. I’m choosing positive vibes over negative ones. I choose to show you guys happiness on here, but it’s not always smiles and roses.”
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Stephens, a Black woman, said she got over 2,000 messages of abuse after Friday’s 5-7 6-2 6-3 defeat. Screenshots of hateful messages she received included one that said, “I promise to find you and destroy your leg so hard that you can’t walk anymore.” Another was full of both misogynistic and racist slurs and even rape threats.
“Sloane has courageously brought to the forefront an issue that many modern day athletes are forced to deal with throughout their careers. The unfortunate reality is that this type of vitriol and hate is far too commonplace on social media platforms,” The USTA said in a statement. “The USTA and US Open recognize that this is just one example of the stresses that professional tennis players face. This is why in 2021 we have bolstered our US Open Medical Team to ensure that a comprehensive and holistic approach will be taken with all aspects of player health, including mental health.”
Athletes have more recently taken to open up about their struggles with mental health. Gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the Olympics to work on her mental health. Tennis pro Naomi Osaka caused a stir earlier this year when she declined to speak to reporters citing her mental health.
Who is Sloane Stephens dating?
Sloane Stephens is engaged to Josmer Volmu ‘Jozy’ Altidore, a professional soccer player. Altidore plays as a forward for Major League Soccer side Toronto FC and the United States national team. The two got engaged in 2019. Stephens reportedly began dating Altidore nearly three years before that.
"She is somebody who gets everything I am going through without having to say anything," Altidore said of the relationship in 2017. "You look at each other and you kind of know right away if one of you is annoyed. She just kind of gets the mood I'm in, as obviously she lives a very similar kind of life. In that regard it works really well, there is no stress. She is a successful athlete and I do OK, and we just enjoy our time together when we are together."
As per a Good Housekeeping piece, when Stephens was ten, she moved to Florida with her mother and stepfather to pursue her tennis career. And when she got to Fort Lauderdale, she met Altidore. “The first time I met him was in fifth grade,” she said in an earlier interview. “He used to bully me. We went to school together in fifth grade … He was older than me. He used to bully me. He dumped me in the trash can and my mom had to come pick me up from school.”
The two, however, reconnected and started dating in 2016. Stephens’ mother, per the tennis pro, was surprised. “When I told my mom I was dating Jozy, she said, ‘The boy who threw you in the trash can?’” she said. “‘Him, madly in love with him, mom.’ Sure know how to pick ‘em, huh?”
“He has such a good heart,” she said of her fiance. “He is so sweet... He has such a good heart and he is such a good dad. I think through our relationship, we’ve grown a lot together. Like, a lot of stuff has happened and I think just as a person, as a dad, he’s just grown so much and I’m so proud."