After Sloane Stephens' U.S. Open run ended in the third round, she took to social media to reveal the abusive messages she received after Friday's 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 loss against No. 16 seed Angelique Kerber.
Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, shared on Instagram Saturday several horrid messages, including comments left on her photos and direct messages full of obscenities and physical threats.
"I am human, after last night's match I got 2k + messages of abuse/anger from people upset by yesterday's result," Stephens shared on her Instagram story along with screenshots of the messages. "It's so hard to read messages like these, but I'll post a few so you guys can see what it's like after a loss."
"This type of hate is so exhausting and never ending," Stephens' post continued. "This isn't talked about enough, but it really freaking sucks."
Despite the disheartening comments she received, the 28-year-old Stephens concluded the series of screenshots with a positive note.
"This isn't talked about enough, but it really freaking sucks. I'm happy to have people in my corner who support me. I'm choosing positive vibes over negative ones."
Stephens reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in 2018 after she made the final of the French Open that year.
Contact Analis Bailey at [email protected] or on Twitter @analisbailey.
