Tennis Coach Under Investigation for Alleged Inappropriate Relationship with Minor Player

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is currently looking into allegations against tennis coach Rafael Font de Mora regarding an alleged inappropriate relationship with a minor female player, along with accusations of bullying behavior.

As reported by The Athletic, two former players have filed complaints to the WTA's safeguarding division about Font de Mora. One of the players lodging a complaint is Pam Shriver, a 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion, while the identity of the other player remains undisclosed.

These allegations come shortly after Font de Mora recently joined American player Peyton Stears's coaching team.

Shriver's grievance mainly pertains to Font de Mora's past relationship with Meghann Shaughnessy, whom he coached in the late 1990s and early 2000s when she was merely 13 years old. The relationship escalated, leading to an engagement when Shaughnessy turned 19, although they never proceeded to marriage.

At the age of 14, Shaughnessy moved from her family home to live with Font de Mora and other players, while he was 25 at the time. Font de Mora contends that their relationship became romantic only after Shaughnessy turned 18. However, records indicate that her parents attempted on two occasions to extract her from Font de Mora’s coaching influence.

In addition to the relational complaints, another former player claims that Font de Mora displayed aggressive behavior, including using profane language in her presence and recklessly hitting tennis balls in her direction.

Stears, asked if she was aware of her coach's background, responded, "Yeah, I mean, it’s been around, but, I think right now, just not really going to dive into that, no comment."