3 most controversial moments involving tennis players and their coaches ft. Pam Shriver's 'inappropriate' relationship with 50-year-old coach

Tennis, despite the beauty and grandeur that accompanies the game, is not devoid of its share of controversies.

While the success of a tennis player can depend on a range of factors, having a dedicated coach to guide and further contribute towards a fruitful career has proven to be of paramount importance. Just like any other important aspect underlying any sport, the player-coach relationship plays a crucial role for the former, both on and off the court.

There have, however, been certain player-coach incidents in the past that have raised concerns and ignited controversies in the tennis arena. With that said, here are a few controversial coaching incidents that have sent shockwaves across the tennis fraternity over the last few years.

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#1 Angelique Cauchy

Tennis has witnessed several controversies where national governments have become involved, and the one featuring former French tennis player Angelique Cauchy is one such case that came into the limelight last September.

Testifying against her former coach and convicted child rapist Andrew Gueddes, Cauchy described the ordeal as being trapped “in prison” from the age of 12, when she trained at the Sarcelles Tennis Club in North Paris.

Two years before Cauchy testified against Gueddes, the coach was sentenced to 18 years of prison for assaulting young girls in France. As part of the testimonial, Cauchy said:

"It happened within not even two or three months. I told him, ‘No, you shouldn’t, it’s not right, I don’t want to.’ And he replied to me, ‘You know it happens sometimes in relationships between coach and student, we spend a lot of time together, it’s normal.'"

While the former World No. 3 did bring these issues up at the time, the President of the tennis club refused to take any action because Gueddes was considered to be a good coach who brought titles to the Club.

The French prodigy also stated that Gueddes was well known for his pattern of inappropriate behavior and abuse, but all complaints against him were dismissed because of his position of power.

Currently working as a tennis coach herself, Cauchy stated that she considered taking her own life at one point and lived between 13 and 18 years of age thinking she had AIDS because the coach tricked her into believing so.

#2 Pam Shriver

In April 2022, 21-time doubles Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Pam Shriver revealed she had a "traumatic", "damaging" and "inappropriate" relationship with her tennis coach, Don Candy.

Sharing her experience in the context of raising her voice against the crucial issue of abuse that were common in the world of tennis, Shriver opened up about her relationship with Candy and how it affected her personally and professionally.

Shriver, who is now 61-years-old and a celebrated tennis broadcaster, said that she still had conflicted feelings about her former coach. She said (via The Guardian):

“Yes, he and I became involved in a long and inappropriate affair. Yes, he was cheating on his wife. But there was a lot about him that was honest and authentic. And I loved him. Even so, he was the grown-up here. He should have been the trustworthy adult. In a different world, he would have found a way to keep things professional. Only after therapy did I start to feel a little less responsible. Now, at last, I’ve come to realise that what happened is on him.”

While Shriver stated that Candy did not abuse her, she believes that the emotional trauma that accompanied the end of the relationship translated to baggage that she carried across all her relationships.

“Our affair shaped my whole experience of romantic life. It stunted my ability to form normal relationships and set certain patterns which would recur: my ongoing attraction to older men and my difficulties in understanding how to maintain healthy boundaries."

However, extending the discussion to greater problems such as abuse of athletes and setting up healthy boundaries on the court, Shriver believed that such relationships were not appropriate. She subsequently went on to suggest that in order to put an end to such situations, it was imperative to educate coaches and implement consequences for those who cross the line.

#3 Jelena Dokic

In 2022, a video of a female tennis player being physically abused by her father, who was also her coach, in Serbia went viral and sparked outrage across the tennis fraternity.

Australian tennis player Jelena Dokic reacted to the incident, stating that not only did she feel horrified after watching the video, but that it also reminded her of the time she was physically abused by her father, who was also her tennis coach.

Dokic expressed her displeasure about the contents of the video and discussed how common it was to witness tennis parenting take a cruel turn. She said:

"It was just sickening to watch and as someone who has been through it, I know what that feels like, I know what that looks like. After an assault like this on myself, I was kicked until I was unconscious, a week before the US Open, when I was 16. It wasn't the only time, and unfortunately, what happens behind closed doors is even worse. There's no doubt about that."

Dokic, who is currently working as a commentator for 9News Australia, shared that she had cut ties with her abusive father, for the better.

“I sleep well at night,” she says. “I don’t speak to him, 10 years ago was the last time. I tried to reconcile but it’s hard when he can’t even say sorry. I hoped he would change, but it wasn’t possible and I think at some stage, even if it’s family, you have to let it go and say, ‘That’s too toxic for me.’ That’s what I did – and the day I did that made me very happy.