Back to the Tennis Newsfeed

Betrayal or Just Business? A Coaching Breakup Looms Over Two Top Women

Michael Owens/Associated Press

Monica Puig’s United States Open lasted only one day, ending in a 6-3, 6-3 defeat against Rebecca Peterson of Sweden on Monday. But the seeds for the loss were planted a week ago, she said, when her coach, Kamau Murray, abruptly told her that he would be unavailable to continue working with her.

What Murray didn’t tell her, according to Puig, was that he would be in New York with another player, Sloane Stephens.

“I found out through people close to me that he was coaching somebody else,” Puig said. “And yeah, a couple pictures surfaced.