Sloane Stephens is known for her prowess on the tennis court. The 30-year-old professional tennis player won the U.S. Open in 2017, has made it deep into quite a few other tournaments, and has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the world.
Off the court, Stephens is passionate about fashion and beauty (just check out her fab ‘fits on Instagram) and also runs a nonprofit organization that provides fitness and education opportunities for economically disadvantaged families and children across the U.S.
Ahead of this summer’s tennis season (the French Open begins May 22!), we sat down with Stephens (over Zoom, of course) to get the low-down on how she protects her skin from the sun while on the tennis court, what her training routine looks like right now, and how she practices self-care on the road.
What does your daily skincare routine look like?
A big part of my morning routine is layering on sunscreen. On a day like today, when I have practice, I’ll put sunscreen on before I leave and then apply another layer when I get to practice. I use a Neutrogena cream on my face and an aerosol spray on my body. And then throughout the day, I reapply.
When I come back from training, sometimes I have Zoom meetings — and if I don’t have to be on camera, I’ll use under-eye patches during those. I also like using the Sunday Riley CEO Glow after practice because sometimes my face feels a little dry. I love putting on a thicker moisturizer because it makes me feel better. I don’t know why, but it just does. And I’ll use a La Mer oil if I feel fancy, which I do pretty much every single day.
I try to keep it pretty simple when I’m at home because I know I can experiment more when I’m on the road. Depending on where I am, I love buying skincare products in different countries. I like to see what’s new, what’s happening, and why everyone else’s skin is so beautiful in places like France.
Speaking of traveling, airplanes can be really drying to the skin. Do you do anything extra to moisturize?
I’m on the road a ton in general, and when I’m somewhere like Europe, I’m on planes constantly. So I make sure to drink a ton of water throughout the day to stay hydrated. I think that plays a big part in the way my skin on my face looks and the way my body skin reacts to the elements.
I can tell that when I’m not hydrated, I have to put on more moisturizer and do a lot more with my skincare routine. And I don’t like that, so drinking more water is basically my cheat code.
What travel essentials do you always pack with you?
I always bring a candle so I can have something familiar with me. I also bring my essential oils because those remind me of home, and I can put my lavender on before bed. I always bring a book of word search puzzles with me too — those make the time fly by.
Switching gears: What does your training routine look like right now as the tennis season ramps up?
When I’m at home, I train with my fitness trainer once a day — and then I play tennis twice a day, depending on the day. We work around my schedule and what I have going on that day, but we try to keep it consistent with two tennis sessions and one fitness session every day for about an hour and a half for each session.
What do you tell yourself before stepping onto the court for a match?
Now that I’ve gotten older, I feel — not exactly less stressed — but more of like, okay, this isn’t life or death. Everything’s good. It’s more simple. It’s like, life is good, you’re alive, you woke up this morning. Everyone’s wonderful, your family is good, everyone’s healthy.
Those are the kind of things where I think when I was younger, I was like, if I don’t win this match, I’m going to lose my mind. I don’t feel that anymore, which is good. I have a healthier relationship with tennis. I can breathe and go, okay, you can do this, nothing bad is going to happen if you win and nothing bad is going to happen if you lose. It’s all going to be okay.
How do you unwind and practice self-care after a match?
When I’m away, I like to find a good TV series to watch. That’s when I light my candle and put on my PJs and some lotion or body oil. I’ll be sitting in the pitch black, with my eye patches on, watching a show. That’s peak me.
Are there any shows you’ve watched recently that you’d recommend?
I just finished watching Vikings: Valhalla. That’s a new one my husband and I watched together. When I go to Europe, I like to start a new show from scratch and finish it by the time I come home.
What advice do you have for someone who’s new to tennis but interested in getting started?
Don’t be intimidated. Tennis is so fun. Even if you’re not good, you can have a good time. People think it’s so hard, but it’s actually fun. Don’t worry about being good. Just swinging the racket, hitting the ball, and getting your body active can do so much for you.
Images courtesy of Sloane Stephens
