While Peyton Stearns won the Austin title in a heroic run for the American over recent weeks, an underfire coach wasn't part of her team for said run in, that being Rafael Font de Mora who according to Stearns as per The Athletic is no longer working with her.
Stearns who is currently World No.48 was engulfed in a storm during the Australian Open as it was revealed that her recent hire was a coach who is under investigation by the WTA for alleged misconduct and inappropriate relationships with players during his previous time coaching on the tour.
During an interview at Indian Wells on Saturday night, she said that she and Font de Mora split after the first Grand Slam of the year. When asked why, she declined to comment. “I’m not going to dive into that," she said as per The Athletic.
In January, a spokesperson for the WTA Tour said that reports and investigations into alleged violations of the WTA Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Code are confidential and not subject to public disclosure. Two former women's players including Pam Shriver made complaints about Font de Mora after seeing him coach Stearns. They said that they made the complaints out of concern for her and other players.
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No longer working with Font de Mora
Font de Mora said during the Australian Open that he could not discuss the complaints because he wasn't told about them. He said he had known Stearns since she was 10 and had occasionally coached her since. The plan was that he would travel with her full time in the 2026 season.
But seemingly amid the fire storm that came with the complaints, that is now not the case. “Your questions are statements that are not true,” he wrote in emails returning comment to The Athletic. “I coordinate my training and sprints with professional trainers and biomechanist(s) and I am a very positive coach.”
Peyton Stearns has split wtih Font de Mora.
Shriver's complaint surrounded Meghann Shaughnessy who Font de Mora coached in the 1990's and early 2000's in Arizona starting when she was 13. When she was 19 they became engaged. He said their relationship was platonic until she turned 18. They never married and ended their relationship in 2005. She never alleged wrongdoing on his side.
While the second player who complained worked with Font de Mora herself previously and she said he behaved aggressively toward her and was physically and verbally abusive. This included swearing in her face and hitting balls aggressively towards her.
Stearns seemed to get rid of Font de Mora post Australian Open so he was not a direct factor in her Austin upturn of form. She is now coached by Roberto Ortega who used to be the coach of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
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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