Sloane Stephens has learned to tune out media criticism and social media trolls.
But there's one comparison the 2017 US Open champion can't tolerate.
Watch: Tomic Fined For Lack of Effort
After Stephens swept 57th-ranked Yafan Wang, 6-0, 6-2, to streak into the Wimbledon third round for the fifth time, journalist Ben Rothenberg asked her reaction to Bernard Tomic's fine for lack of full effort in his 58-minute, first-round loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, noting that "(Tomic is) somebody else who also plays that same sort of, like, more than you.."
A smiling Stephens wasn't exactly thrilled with the comparison.
"Really? I was going to say, like, you compared me to him?" Stephens replied with a grin. "That's really messed up, Bro."
Reflecting on the issue, Stephens said she's not completely on board with tournament issuing fines for lack of full effort because it's sometimes difficult to distinguish between a player having a bad day or choking and simply not trying.
"I could see if he lost 0, 0, 0, then that would be something," Stephens said. "Well, he played a 6-4 set. It's not like -- I don't know. I didn't see it. I have no idea.
"Obviously that happened at the French Open, as well. That was with Tatishvili. I think now if the tournaments are going to be their own judge and say, like, and they're going to do that, then -- hmm. I can't say I'm 100% onboard with that."
American Anna Tatishvili was fined $50,000 by Roland Garros for lack of professional effort following her 6-0, 6-1, loss to 29th-seeded Maria Sakkari, which Stephens suggested was excessive partly because Tatisvhili was playing on a protected ranking against a seeded opponent.
"But she played Sakkari. She's not playing a scrub," Stephens said. "I am saying for losing 0-0, or... 0-1. I just don't know I can be down with that. I think that's a bit... and the whole back story about her protected ranking and all that stuff, as well, like being forced to play basically or you lose it, there is a lot of that that goes into it.
"Like you said, it's a very slippery slope, and when you start doing that and being the judge of what happens and how people earn a living, that's when it gets a little tricky."
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve