Sloane Stephens showed the media her happy face after advancing to the Australian Open third-round

For a professional athlete, dealing with the media is part of the job. Without a doubt it gets difficult at times, and some athletes handle it better than others. One who is forthright with the media is Sloane Stephens, and after her second-round win over Daria Kasatkina, she had plenty to say.

To begin with, Stephens called the media for consistently describing her as looking flat and unhappy on the court. She described herself as happy after the win over Kasatkina and wanted the members of the press to take note.

Then, Stephens was asked the question many are grappling with, regarding Alexander Zverev. He is scheduled to be tried in May for allegations of domestic abuse. The ATP has not addressed the issue, and Zverev was recently elected to the ATP Players Council.

What did Sloane Stephens say about Alexander Zverev?

Stephens said that it is obvious that the ATP is not planning to issue any punishment prior to the court hearing. Allegations have been circulating about Zverev for years so with the trial just months away, the ATP won't be doing anything at this juncture.

She also said that as a former member of the WTA Players Council, she believes the WTA would not have allowed the player to be elected to a position of leadership on the heels of a criminal trial.

Though Stephens gave an honest and thoughtful answer and did not try to speed through it with a diplomatic answer to get to the next question, it does beg the question of why the media is asking WTA players about the issue. It is an ATP issue. Players who have no involvement with Zverev or the ATP should not be questioned about this after playing tennis matches at a Grand Slam.

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