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Sloane Stephens eyes Freedoms season as she nears return from injury

The 24-year-old has been out with a foot injury since the Rio Olympics. She plans to play at Wimbledon next week.

Sloane Stephens last played at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She will return from a foot injury at Wimbledon next week and then join the Freedoms later in July.
Sloane Stephens last played at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She will return from a foot injury at Wimbledon next week and then join the Freedoms later in July.Read moreRex Features via AP Images

After 10 months on the sidelines with a foot injury, Sloane Stephens is almost ready to return to the court, and she's eyeing Philadelphia as one of her first stops.

The 24-year-old will join the Freedoms when their season begins July 16. Stephens has not played since a first-round loss to Eugenie Bouchard in the Rio Olympics last summer.

Stephens announced in February that she would undergo foot surgery and remain out until summer. Healthy again, she will play at Wimbledon next week. She also has signed on for 11 matches with the Freedoms from July 16-Aug. 2.

"Being able to play with my really good friends, I think that'll make it even more enjoyable for me," Stephens said Monday on a teleconference call. "At this point, I'm just looking forward to getting on the court, no matter where it is."

Stephens has climbed as high as No. 11 in the WTA rankings (in October 2013). After a long hiatus, she'll just be regaining her form this summer.

"No expectations at all," she said. "I haven't played in nine months, and I don't expect anything great the first go-round, or second or third go-round. I'm going to have to be patient and just work my way back into it, but if a good result comes early, that's just icing on the cake."