Born in Kisač, Novi Sad, Serbia, Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, Stepanov came up through Vojvodina's ranks, making his first-team debut during the 2000–01 season and becoming team captain five years later.

[1] Initially on the substitutes bench he gradually made room for himself in the starting eleven but, on 28 November, in a UEFA Champions League match at Liverpool, his team lost 1–4, with him having a subpar performance and subsequently losing the starting place to veteran Pedro Emanuel; this situation was aggravated in his second year with the signing of Rolando (he would only play in the penultimate Primeira Liga game).

[7] Stepanov was a part of the Serbian and Montenegrin team that was knocked out in the first round of the 2004 Summer Olympics after finishing fourth in Group C behind eventual winners Argentina, Australia and Tunisia.

[8] In November 2005, Stepanov appeared in a two-match qualification playoff against Croatia for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Portugal, and scored in the second leg in a 2–1 away win, netting the winner in the 86th minute (5–2 on aggregate).

[9] He eventually helped the national side reach the semifinals in the final stages, with many pundits agreeing he was the team's most consistent performer with a string of confident defensive displays throughout the tournament.