“I need to trust my game and not worry about winning and losing,” said Peyton Stearns while speaking to ‘Tennis365’ about her remarkable rise in professional tennis and handling pressure back in August 2023. In the time since then, she’s achieved two significant milestones: breaking into the WTA Top 50 ranks and clinching her first WTA singles title in Rabat in 2024. However, the recent months have been tough for the 23-year-old as she battled significant physical setbacks, affecting her performance on the court. Just recently, she shared an important update about her health condition. But what did she reveal, though?
It’s been an unwelcome start to the season for the 43rd-seed American, with no major milestones to celebrate yet. Her AO campaign ended in disappointment with a 1st-round exit against fellow American Emma Navarro, followed by underwhelming runs: a Round of 16 exit at the Winner’s Cup, a Round of 32 finish in the Qatar Open, and another Round of 16 loss at the Dubai Open and her latest defeat at ATX Open. However, a few hours ago, she disclosed a health problem that has affected her performance of late: persistent stomach pain. The affliction led to multiple tests, raising concerns about her overall well-being and professional future. But as it turns out, there’s a silver lining to this story: a diagnosis!
In an Instagram post recently, Stearns revealed, “These past three weeks have been a rough ride….constant stomach pain, exhaustion, trips to the bathroom and not knowing what’s going on. After multiple tests, I finally found out E. coli was the culprit. It’s been frustrating not knowing what was wrong, but now that I do, I can focus on getting better. Luckily I have some time to rest, recover, and get my strength back before Indian Wells! ” And the post made it to her IG Stories as well, with a funny still from the ‘Venom’ movie, showing how difficult it was for her to eat while battling the infection.
On the morning of February 19 at the Dubai Open, Peyton Stearns pulled off a hard-fought victory against 7th seed Zheng Qinwen. Rallying back from a set down, she she sealed in the last two sets, with a final score line reading 6-3, 4-6, 4-6. But right after, Stearns began experiencing severe stomach pain, nearly forcing her to withdraw from her afternoon match. Struggling physically, she couldn’t maintain her level, losing 1-6, 1-6 to eventual champion, the 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva.
The 23-year-old American also revealed that she collapsed in the corridor after playing two matches in one day against Zheng Qinwen and Mirra Andreeva in Dubai. The 43rd seed shared a photo of herself on the floor, being attended to by medics while quoting, “Highly don’t recommend having a GI illness & playing 2 matches in a day… not a good combo,” she added on her X handle. She even shared her funny side on her IG, stating, “Let the bodies hit the floor”.
Despite her bouts of infection, the American seemed energetic, as, after her latest loss at the hands of Varvara Gracheva, Stearns revealed her fighting spirit on the tennis court.
“There’s always a way to fight back,” Peyton Stearns opens up after her early exit from ATX Open
Peyton Stearns made a powerful impression on the WTA tour last season by clinching her first professional title at the Morocco Open in May. However, her 2025 campaign hasn’t unfolded as she hoped, marked by several early exits since the Brisbane International. Her latest setback on home soil at the ‘ATX Open’ underscored this trend as well. Despite the passionate support from local fans, Stearns, currently ranked 43rd, couldn’t overcome the steady play of Russian-born French professional Gracheva, ranked 72nd.
Gracheva broke Stearns’ serve 2 times to take the first set 6-2. Although the American showed signs of regaining her rhythm, she stumbled in the second set, with the score tied at 3-3 when Gracheva broke her serve and eventually holding her own to win the match convincingly. And, in the post-match interview, the American candidly addressed her early exit from the tournament.
“I’ve been working on staying positive,” she said. “It’s tennis. You can be down a set and 5-0 and still find a way to win, you know? There’s always a way to fight back. I tried to stay fired up because that’s when I play my best tennis. I was trying to get that energy going, but it just wasn’t quite clicking today,” Peyton added.
Stearns is now ready to compete next at the Palm Springs event, where she hopes to turn her season around. In her previous two appearances at the ‘BNP Paribas Open’ (2023 & 2024), she hasn’t made it past the second round having gone out to former champion Bianca Andreescu and three-time Major titlist Aryna Sabalenka in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Can she break the pattern this time and make a deep run or perhaps even claim her first title in 2025?
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