Sloane Stephens ordered sushi and smoothies during a match at the Australian Open (Image: Eurosport )
The gets underway this weekend. The first Grand Slam of the season always brings plenty of stories as players look to prove they can start the year on the best form.
Away from the top stars and the underdogs, some other unusual anecdotes always crop up during the biggest tournaments, like Sloane Stephens’ sushi-gate.
Last year, the American star ordered sushi and smoothies to the court while feeling lethargic mid-match. But it backfired when she was told off by the umpire.
Stephens faced Anna Kalinskaya in the third round 12 months ago. The former US Open champion won a marathon first set 7-6(8) in over an hour but quickly started to struggle in set two.
The world No. 84 knew she needed a burst of energy and ordered food to the court. As she trailed 0-5, Stephens’ team asked a ball kid to deliver two boxes of sushi and two smoothies to her bench.
It was the pick-me-up she needed, but it came at a cost. Stephens, who had been feeling sluggish, spent too much time eating during the changeover and was called out by umpire Aline Rocha for taking too long.
The chair official had already reminded Stephens that she was taking too long in between points during the match. The American eventually received a code violation for running down the shot clock.
Sloane Stephens reached the third round of the Australian Open in 2024 (Image: Getty)
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“Being told to hurry up between points so just a bit of discussion and amongst that, just knocking off a little bit of sushi as well,” commentators on Australia’s host broadcaster Channel Nine said.
Kalinskaya took the second set 6-1, but Stephens, fuelled by her unusual mid-match snack, made the deciding set more competitive. She stormed into a 3-1 lead.
However, Kalinskaya ultimately came out on top, winning 6-7(8) 6-1 6-4. Stephens later addressed her unique mid-match sushi order.
“We had a long first set, I was hungry and this is all my team could find,” she wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
One of Stephens’ rivals was also entertained by her snack of choice. 2021 Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady tweeted: “Not all of us can eat sushi during a match.”
As for Kalinskaya, the Russian star went on to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final, losing to 12th seed Qinwen Zheng. After beating Stephens, she said: “Well, it was a bit upsetting to lose the first set, having so many chances to do.
“I had a few break points to be up in the score. I was up in the tiebreak. It’s a game, and she played really good tennis. She’s a great fighter. I just had to reset after the first set and change a little bit my strategy for the next two sets.”