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Sloane Stephens hires Sven Groeneveld. Engagement, new coach, what’s next?

Just days after saying “forever yes” to her boyfriend Jozy Altidore, Sloane Stephens again headlines tennis news, this time by announcing partnership with famous coach Sven Groeneveld.

The 59-year-old Groeneveld, best known for his four-and-a-half-year cooperation with Maria Sharapova (from November 2013 to March 2018), is now part of Stephens’ team and their first tournament together will be the Madrid Open, next week’s Premier Mandatory tournament played on clay.

The 2017 US Open champion Stephens is no stranger to success on dirt, having played the French Open final last year, but Groeneveld is neither, as he was alongside Maria Sharapova when the Russian triumphed in Paris in 2014 and he was also Ana Ivanovic’s coach when the Serb clinched her career-defining Roland Garros title in 2008 and climbed to the top of the WTA rankings.