The 22- time grand slam doubles champ Pam Shriver states she had an “improper and destructive relationship” with her coach which began when she was a teen, and has actually cautioned that comparable situations are prevalent in tennis.
In a short article for the Daily Telegraph released on Wednesday, Shriver, who is now 59 and a highly regarded broadcaster, states she began to deal with Don Candy when she was 9. The Australian was her coach as she started her increase to the top of the video game, and she ultimately reached the last of the United States Open as a 16- year-old amateur. When she was 17 she informed the 50- year-old Candy she was falling for him and they went on to have an affair.
” I still have actually contrasted sensations about Don,” Shriver composes. “Yes, he and I ended up being associated with a long and unsuitable affair. Yes, he was cheating on his spouse. There was a lot about him that was sincere and genuine. And I liked him. However, he was the full-grown here. He must have been the credible grownup. In a various world, he would have discovered a method to keep things expert. Just after treatment did I begin to feel a little less accountable. Now, at last, I’ve pertained to understand that what occurred is on him.”
Shriver states Candy, who passed away in 2020, did not sexually abuse her however the relationship “stunted my capability to form regular relationships and set particular patterns which would repeat: my continuous destination to older males and my troubles in comprehending how to keep healthy borders”.
Shriver thinks her story is far from special. “I think violent training relationships are amazingly typical in sport as an entire,” she states. “My specific proficiency, however, remains in tennis, where I have actually experienced lots of circumstances in my four-and-a-bit years as a gamer and analyst. Each time I find out about a gamer who is dating their coach, or I see a male physio dealing with a female body in the fitness center, it sets my alarm bells sounding.”
Shriver stated the relationship, especially her regret towards Candy’s partner, Elaine, had an unfavorable impact on her video game. The relationship ended when she looked for a brand-new coach, although she continued to correspond with Candy as a specialist.
Abuse of professional athletes has actually ended up being a popular subject recently. Shriver recommends some methods tennis might resolve the issue.
” As far as options go, I do not have all the responses. I believe it’s possible to inform young professional athletes, however you most likely need to begin prior to they even reach adolescence: possibly when they’re 11, 12 or13 By the time they finish to the primary tennis trip, numerous patterns have actually currently been set,” she states.
” And then there’s the coaches. The very best method to secure their charges is to put them thr