"I got a kick out of it": Peyton Stearns doesn't regret using social media to invite DM's for new coach
WTA
Peyton Stearns has continued her stellar form as of late by seeing off Madison Keys to reach the Last 16 of the Rome Open and with Iga Swiatek now gone, it could well be the Ohio native against friend Danielle Collins for a spot in the semi-finals.
Stearns though who won Rabat last year treaded a long road since winning that title. She hired former coach of Maria Sakkari, Tom Hill. A partnership which worked to start with.
But she was suddenly left mere days before Madrid staring at attempting to hire a new coach as Hill left to return to Sakkari who herself has had good results since he returned.
Always one for humour and calling herself a dawg on social media, Stearns used that to her advantage asking for coaches to DM her which of course also saw her get some weird responses but an experience she laughed at all the same.
“I wasn’t going to take to social media but due to some factors,” she said as per Tennis.com winking. “I took to social media. I thought it was appropriate. I was going to keep things private but other people didn’t keep it private, so I decided to go to social media. I kind of had fun with it and even got some DMs from some random people that were quite funny. I got a kick out of it.”
“When I got the news, I was actually going to the Masters the next day, so it was actually nice to be able to put the phone away and not have to see it all day, just relax and focus on the golf and whatnot. Luckily, I keep my family and friends really tight, and there were so many solutions where, if I couldn’t find someone, there’d be people who would be there for me until I did. There were so many people reaching out.
“I knew that at the end of the day, if you needed to play without a coach for a tournament, you can. It’s not the end of the world. It’s you out there. You just need some support around you. I think that’s the best way to answer that.”
She has hired Blaž Kavčič who coached Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson and with the Aussie ace now out due to a doping ban, she was told that they would work and work it has thus far.
“Madrid was the trial run and I think even before my first round started, I was like, ‘I think you’re hired. I like you!’ We meshed really well together because going into the first round, I was like, ‘Win or lose, I can already see in these couple days what kind of person he is.’ He’s willing to really, really work, and I like to work a lot too, so it works out well.”
“Going into Madrid, I hadn’t had a lot of wins this year but I got that confidence through him and every day being out on court feeling like I’ve put in a lot of work, but also a lot of positivity.
“He came with a spark and really helped me finetune some things in the game that needed it.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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