Months following China’s Peng Shuai’s controversy with the republic’s former Vice Premier, another Tennis star speaks out against their own struggles while competing.
In an essay detailing her life in Tennis, Hall of Famer and 21-time singles champ Pam Shriver spoke out, detailing an “inappropriate relationship” with her former coach, the late Don Candy.
The relationship began when the star was 17, while the coach was 50 years old. Shriver mentioned the relationship persisted for 5 years, revealing on ‘Behind the Lines’ “an inappropriate and damaging relationship with my much older coach.”
Starting off as her chaperone at the start of her career at 15, the ESPN analyst explained the situation entered an inappropriate state 2 years later, though she noted it did not get sexual until the age of 20, nor did she see it as sexual abuse.
Even still, Shriver, reflecting on the anger in the process, the 59-year-old wanted the piece to serve as a cautionary tale for all female athletes in the tennis field, with problems that still persist to this day with aspiring female athletes of today.
In response to her reveal, the WTA stated in regards to its younger players: “safeguarding requires vigilance, and we are continuing to invest in education, training, and resources to improve our efforts. The health and safety of all WTA Tour stakeholders—including the players—is our priority, and our commitment to safeguarding remains resolute.”
