American Tennis Star Peyton Stearns Splits with Coach Amid Misconduct Allegations
Rising American tennis talent Peyton Stearns has confirmed her separation from coach Rafael Font de Mora, following a series of serious allegations regarding his past conduct with players. Stearns disclosed to The Athletic that she has moved on from Font de Mora but opted not to elaborate on the specific reasons behind their split, stating she did not wish to 'dive in' to the details.
Investigation Reveals Multiple Complaints Against Coach
An investigation by The Athletic has uncovered that two former WTA players, including multi-time Grand Slam doubles champion Pam Shriver, filed formal complaints with the tour's director of safeguarding concerning Font de Mora's historical actions. Font de Mora's return to the professional circuit at the start of this season, after an absence of several years, prompted a wave of complaints from former athletes.
Shriver's complaint specifically centers on a relationship Font de Mora had with a player he coached during the 1990s and 2000s. He began coaching Meghann Shaughnessy when she was just 13 years old, arranged for her to move into his residence at age 14—while he was 25—and became engaged to her when she turned 19. Font de Mora has denied any wrongdoing, insisting the relationship remained platonic until Shaughnessy reached 18, and they separated in 2005 without marrying.
Additional Allegations of Abusive Behavior Surface
A second complainant, who chose to remain anonymous, accused Font de Mora of aggressive and abusive behavior, including swearing directly in her face and hitting tennis balls aggressively toward her during training sessions. This account was corroborated by a third player, also coached by Font de Mora, who has not filed a formal complaint but described sessions where athletes were pushed to the brink of physical collapse, noting that no other coach made her train as extensively or with such inadequate fueling.
Shriver, who herself experienced an inappropriate relationship with a coach starting at age 17, reported Font de Mora to the WTA after encountering him at a hotel during the Australian Open in January. Shaughnessy, whose parents attempted twice to remove her from Font de Mora's coaching, has not alleged any misconduct by her former coach.
Coach Denies Allegations as Stearns Remains Silent
In response to inquiries from The Athletic, Font de Mora stated in January, 'Your questions are statements that are not true. I coordinate my training and sprints with professional trainers and biomechanist(s) and I am a very positive coach.' Meanwhile, Stearns has made no public complaints about Font de Mora. When questioned at the Australian Open about her awareness of his history on the WTA Tour, she replied, 'Yeah, I mean, it's been around, but I think right now, just not really going to dive into that, no comment.'
The situation highlights ongoing concerns within professional tennis regarding safeguarding and coach-player relationships, with the WTA's safeguarding mechanisms under scrutiny as these allegations come to light.
