What could a young tennis star who has earned $2.4 million in prize money, not to mention endorsements, possibly want for her 21st birthday? For starters, try a juicer (79.99), a 12-person tent ($299.99) and an inflatable movie screen with a storage bag ($169.99).  Sloane Stephens, the American ranked No. 16 in the world, turns 21 today. She is excited about it—and she wants gifts. If you’d like to purchase her one, visit her registry at Target.  Stephens doesn’t have an affiliation with Target. Her agent, John Tobias of Lagardere Unlimited, said there hasn’t even been a “conversation” with the company. The registry is just something Stephens and some of her friends decided to do for their birthdays, he said.  “All in good fun and actually quite helpful for those of us trying to find a gift for her,” Tobias wrote in an email.  One problem Stephens encountered: Target doesn’t have a birthday registry. So Stephens filled out the online wedding form, which required her to choose a future spouse.  “I was going to marry myself, but I couldn’t put my same name,” Stephens said in Indian Wells, Calif., last week. “I ended up having to put my mom’s.”  It seems Stephens has either made her list too long, or that many of her friends are last-minute buyers. Of the 31 items she put on the registry, 17 had yet to be purchased as of this morning.  Among the outstanding items: An exercise bike ($297.99), a jewelry box ($39.99), a set of table tennis rackets and balls ($31.99), Pictionary Man Game (price reduced to $23.99), a compact photo printer ($99.99) and the Sunpentown Infrared Blood Circulation Massager ($87.99), which claims to “stimulate blood circulation” and use “high-frequency vibration, powerful magnetism and infrared heat to help you relax.”  Of course, there’s something even better that Stephens can give herself for her birthday: a title. Despite several strong performances at Grand Slam tournaments, Stephens has yet to win a WTA event. In Indian Wells last week, she lost in the quarterfinals to Flavia Pennetta, the eventual champion.  The competition will be stiffer at the Sony Open in Miami, which runs through next weekend. Serena Williams, the defending champion, and her sister Venus, who won a tournament in Dubai last month, are in the draw. Stephens could only meet Serena in the final. Stephens might play former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the third round, and possibly Li Na, the Australian Open champion, in the quarterfinals.  But for today, she can open her gifts without any stress. Stephens isn’t scheduled to play. Perhaps that’s the best birthday gift of all.
The tennis star turns 21, and she really wants gifts (perhaps this $80 juicer?). That's why she is registered at Target, which unfortunately does not do birthday registries.