Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver Alleges 'Inappropriate, Damaging' Relationship with Coach Began at 17

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ESPN tennis analyst Pam Shriver is detailing the "inappropriate and damaging" relationship she previously had as a teenager with her "much older" coach Don Candy.

"I believe abusive coaching relationships are alarmingly common in sport as a whole," the 59-year-old tennis hall of famer wrote in a personal essay published by The Telegraph on Wednesday.

"My particular expertise, though, is in tennis, where I have witnessed dozens of instances in my four-and-a-bit decades as a player and commentator," she continued. "Every time I hear about a player who is dating their coach, or I see a male physio working on a female body in the gym, it sets my alarm bells ringing."

Shriver's professional tennis career began in 1978 when she was 15, traveling and training with Candy as her coach and chaperone. She said her relationship with Candy, who died in 2020 at 91, began when she was 17 and he was 50. The pair's relationship later became sexual when Shriver was 20, she said.

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Despite the 33-year age gap, Shriver makes it clear she was never sexually abused — though she admits to feeling emotionally abused, noting that Candy was married at the time.

"I still have conflicted feelings about Don. 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," she wrote. "Even so, he was the grown-up here. He should have been the trustworthy adult."

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She said her relationship with Candy became an "open secret," though she never asked for help and no one ever reached out to help her because "love affairs between players and coaches had become normalised."

Shriver — who won 21 Grand Slam doubles titles over the course of her career — said though she often felt alone, ashamed and guilty, her success also made her hesitant to end the relationship because, she wrote, "If I stopped the coaching relationship, what would happen to my tennis? I was terrified my game might just go away."

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At 22 years old, she ended her relationship with Candy and began working with new coaches after the 1984 season.

"I actually kept using Don as a coaching consultant, because he was so insightful about my game," she said. "But neither he nor I ever tried to rekindle anything — a mercy for which I'll give credit to both sides."

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Shriver urged that change needs to start with educating players, coaches, trainers and more about the inappropriate behavior and its consequences.

"This is a widespread problem and we need a broad-spectrum alliance if we're going to address it," she wrote. "One of the most crucial organisations is going to be the International Tennis Federation, because they organise the junior events. But everyone must come together — the WTA, the ATP and the four grand slams — to improve tennis' safeguarding practices."