Sloane Stephens is being recognized for a legacy that extends far beyond the tennis court. The 2017 US Open champion has received the Trailblazing Woman Honor at Players Honors and will also receive the Serving Up Dreams Award at the 2026 US Open Opening Night Gala for her work empowering young people through tennis, education and mentorship.
Trailblazing Woman Honor
Stephens recently received the Trailblazing Woman Honor at PlayersTV’s second annual Players Honors presented by Novartis in Las Vegas, recognizing her leadership in empowering women, breaking barriers and inspiring future generations.
The WTA star founded the Sloane Stephens Foundation in 2013, when she was just 20, to expand access to tennis and use the sport as a vehicle to help young people build confidence, develop life skills, and feel supported and valued as they pursue their dreams.
“I’ve been so privileged, honored and grateful that I’ve been able to play tennis and do all these incredible things,” Stephens said in her speech. “But I think my life’s work, and what I’ve been put on this earth to do, is to give back — to give other people the opportunity to experience what I’ve experienced, and to give the resources to people who don’t have them.”
The tennis champion also highlighted the work of her mother, the foundation’s executive director, emphasizing the impact they have made together in changing lives and strengthening communities.
Serving Up Dreams Award
Her work will receive another major honor at the upcoming US Open. The USTA Foundation announced that Stephens will receive the Serving Up Dreams Award at its Opening Night Gala on August 30. The award recognizes her commitment to using tennis, education and mentorship to create opportunities for young people from under-resourced communities.
With three locations in Compton, Calif., Fresno, Calif., and Miami Gardens, Fla., the Sloane Stephens Foundation is part of the USTA Foundation’s national network of organizations using tennis to create opportunities and build brighter futures. In 2025 alone, it served 7,500 young people through 1,500 hours of tennis, education, and life skills programming.
In addition, Stephens has recently been named as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in Philanthropy and was honored with the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award at the 2025 ESPY Awards for her work with the foundation.
After reaching a career-high No. 3 ranking and becoming only the fifth American woman in the Open Era to win the US Open, Stephens is now building a legacy that reaches well beyond her achievements in tennis.
