Success on the tennis court can arrive quickly. Stability around it sometimes takes longer.
Just weeks after capturing the ATX Open title in Austin, Peyton Stearns clarified that the coach who briefly surrounded her season with controversy is no longer part of her team. Speaking during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the American confirmed she stopped working with Rafael Font de Mora following the Australian Open.
The timing is notable. Stearns’ recent surge — including her breakthrough title run in Texas — came without Font de Mora in her coaching box.
And while her tennis is trending upward, the situation surrounding the former coach remains under scrutiny.
Stearns Confirms Coaching Change
Stearns, currently (virtually) ranked No. 48 in the world, found herself unexpectedly at the center of controversy earlier this year when it became public that she had hired Font de Mora.
The Spanish coach has been under investigation by the WTA for alleged misconduct and inappropriate relationships with players during his previous time on tour.
During a press conference in Indian Wells, Stearns confirmed that their partnership ended shortly after the first Grand Slam of the season.
When asked why the collaboration ended, however, she declined to elaborate.
“I’m not going to comment on that,” Stearns said, according to The Athletic.
The WTA has also remained largely silent about the details of the case. A spokesperson previously stated that reports and investigations involving potential violations of the WTA Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Code are confidential and therefore not publicly disclosed.
Complaints Filed by Former Players
The issue drew additional attention when two former players filed complaints about Font de Mora, including former world No. 3 doubles player Pam Shriver.
According to reports, the complaints were submitted after the former players saw Font de Mora coaching Stearns at the Australian Open. They said they raised concerns out of concern for Stearns and other players on the tour.
Shriver’s complaint related to Meghann Shaughnessy, whom Font de Mora coached during the late 1990s and early 2000s in Arizona beginning when she was 13 years old.
When Shaughnessy was 19, the two became engaged. Font de Mora has stated that their relationship was platonic until she turned 18. The pair never married and ended their relationship in 2005. Shaughnessy has never accused him of misconduct.
A second former player alleged that Font de Mora had behaved aggressively during training sessions, including shouting directly in her face and hitting balls forcefully toward her.
Font de Mora Responds to Allegations
Font de Mora previously said during the Australian Open that he could not comment on the complaints because he had not been formally informed about them.
He has also defended his coaching approach.
“Your questions are statements that are not true,” he wrote in emails responding to The Athletic.
“I coordinate my training and sprint work with professional trainers and biomechanists, and I am a very positive coach.”
Font de Mora noted that he has known Stearns since she was 10 years old and had occasionally coached her throughout her development. The plan had been for him to travel with her full-time during the 2026 season.
That arrangement is no longer in place.
New Coaching Setup as Stearns’ Form Improves
Despite the turbulence surrounding the coaching situation, Stearns’ on-court results have improved dramatically.
Her title run in Austin represented one of the strongest stretches of her young career, and importantly, it came after her split with Font de Mora.
Stearns is now working with Roberto Ortega, who previously coached Spanish player Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
The new partnership appears to have brought stability at a crucial moment in the season, as Stearns attempts to build momentum during the Sunshine Double.
With her ranking inside the Top 50 and confidence rising after the Austin triumph, the American now has an opportunity to shift the conversation fully back to tennis.
For Stearns, that may be exactly what this next phase of the season requires. Indian Wells saw a first-round exit against Argentina’s Solana Sierra, but there is surely more to expect from the 24-year-old American.