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US tennis star reveals she received more than 2,000 racist, sexist messages after US Open loss

Story at a glance

  • U.S. tennis star Sloane Stephens lost in three sets on Friday in the U.S. Open to Germany’s Angelique Kerber.
  • Stephens revealed she received more than 2,000 racist and sexist social media messages following her loss.
  • Stephens, who is Black, shared screenshots of the vile messages on her Instagram story.

U.S. tennis star Sloane Stephens revealed she received more than 2,000 racist and sexist social media messages following her U.S. Open loss on Friday.

“It’s so hard to read messages like these,” Stephens, who is Black, wrote on her Instagram story, followed by screenshots of a series of vile and explicit messages.

“This type of hate is so exhausting and never ending,” Stephens said. “This isn’t talked about enough, but it really freaking sucks.”


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Stephens lost in three sets on Friday to Germany’s Angelique Kerber after taking the first set.

“I’m happy to have people in my corner who support me,” Stephens said. “I’m choosing positive vibes over negative ones.”


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Published on Sep 07,2021