The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has launched a formal investigation into serious complaints lodged against Spanish coach Rafael Font de Mora, focusing on allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a former female player and bullying behaviour. Font de Mora, who recently returned to the tennis circuit to coach American player Peyton Stearns, faces scrutiny from the sport's governing body following reports from The Athletic.
Historic Complaints Surface
Two former players have submitted formal complaints to the WTA's safeguarding team regarding Font de Mora's conduct. One complainant is the esteemed 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion Pam Shriver, while the other has chosen to remain anonymous at this time. The complaints highlight longstanding concerns within the tennis community about coach-player boundaries and professional conduct.
Shriver's Specific Allegations
Pam Shriver's complaint centres on Font de Mora's relationship with former player Meghann Shaughnessy, whom he coached from the age of 13 in the 1990s and 2000s. The relationship reportedly evolved into a romantic engagement when Shaughnessy was 19, though the pair never married. Notably, Shaughnessy left her family home at 14 to live in Font de Mora's residence alongside other tennis players, while the coach was 25 years old.
Font de Mora maintains that their relationship only became romantic when Shaughnessy reached 18, but contemporary reports indicate her parents attempted twice to remove her from his coaching group due to concerns. It is important to note that Shaughnessy herself has never publicly alleged any wrongdoing by Font de Mora.
Bullying and Aggressive Behaviour Claims
The second complaint, from another former player coached by Font de Mora, alleges a pattern of aggressive and verbally abusive behaviour. Specific incidents include the coach swearing directly in the player's face and deliberately hitting tennis balls toward her in a manner perceived as intimidating. These allegations paint a picture of a coaching style that crosses professional boundaries into bullying territory.
Previous Player Testimonies
This is not the first time concerns have been raised about Font de Mora's methods. In 2007, former client Anna-Lena Groenefeld gave a revealing interview to Germany's Kicker magazine, stating: 'For Font de Mora, I was his possession, his project. I also lived in his house later, so he had me fully in control at every turn. I just worked like a puppet under him.' This testimony suggests a concerning pattern of controlling behaviour spanning multiple players and years.
Coach's Response and Current Situation
When approached for comment by The Athletic, Font de Mora issued a statement denying the allegations: '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.' His current charge, Peyton Stearns, when asked about her coach's history, responded cautiously: 'Yeah, I mean, it's been around, but, I think right now, just not really going to dive into that, no comment.'
Broader WTA Safeguarding Context
This investigation occurs against a backdrop of increased WTA scrutiny over coach conduct. Recently, Elena Rybakina's coach Stefano Vukov received a one-year ban from the WTA for 2025 due to 'abuse of authority and abusive conduct,' though he denied wrongdoing and has since returned to coaching Rybakina, who recently defeated Iga Swiatek to reach the Australian Open semi-finals. The Font de Mora case represents another test of the WTA's commitment to player welfare and professional standards within the sport.
