“I honestly got so annoyed” – Sloane Stephens calls out coach at US Open after noticing court-side behavior in hysterical moment
Sloane Stephens couldn’t help but call out her coach after noticing his hilarious courtside antics during her first-round appearance at the 2026 US Open. Stephens locked horns with Clara Tauson on Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The Danish player quickly took control of the match with a 3-1 lead. However, Stephens regained her composure and fought back to save four out of five break points in the opening set before taking it 6-4. The American tennis player built momentum in the second set to take a 5-0 lead, after which Tauson pushed her to five match points.
Undeterred by the challenges, Stephens went on to seal the victory 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 16 minutes. The ups and downs of the match were clearly not everyone’s cup of tea to watch, including Stephens’ coach, Kamau Murray, who nervously bit his nails throughout the contest. Stephens decided to call him out in a light-hearted way during her post-match interview and said:
“I honestly got so annoyed with my coach eating his fingernails,” she said, laughing. “I was like, get yourself together. He was eating his nails like it was a full meal and I was like, ‘What’s going on?'”
Her win over Tauson marks her first victory at the US Open since 2022 and her first Slam win at all since 2024. She claimed the US Open in 2017 by seeing off Madison Keys 6-3, 6-0. The recent win also highlighted her return to form after a severe right foot stress fracture kept her off the tour in 2025, where she competed in only five matches.
Sloane Stephens opens up on regaining her confidence after facing severe challenges
After missing most of her 2025 season, Sloane Stephens has rediscovered her form again in 2026. Before her US Open run, she defeated Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 6-4 in the second round of the Cincinnati Open. However, she was seen off by Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 7-5 in the next round.
In an interview with Andscape ahead of her appearance in New York, Stephens stated that it took her a long time to regain her form and confidence, but added that she is happy to be playing well, especially before the home crowd.
“It takes a while to find your groove again and find the tennis you want to play and get back to where I wanted to be,” Stephens said. “And to finally be playing some really good tennis is always a good thing. But also, to be doing it in the U.S., in front of home crowds — it’s incredibly special.”
Sloane Stephens will face Kostyuk in the second round of the US Open
