“I really wanted a coach because if I’m going to go play, I don’t want to just cruise,” insisted Bond. “If I’m going to be here and take my time, I need to at least do it properly. Otherwise, there’s no point.”

After missing a flight to compete at PPA Asia, she decided it was time to make a change.

Bond turned to Beth Bellamy — a former WTA player, champion senior pickleball pro, and mother of fellow pro Roscoe Bellamy — to help elevate her game as her new coach.

“Cleo was looking for connections in LA and seeing if that could be a real home base for her to train and give pickleball a real shot,” explained Bellamy. “We started talking, and I agreed to help her.”

“When Roscoe introduced me to his mom, we instantly hit it off,” praised Bond. “She gets me, I get her, and we have that mutual respect. I’ll listen to anything she tells me. I trust her so much.”

“She’s a great athlete, really fast, and a very good tennis player, but I feel like she hasn’t had any guidance,” shared Bellamy. “There’s a lot of pressure out there on the court, and sometimes people just need somebody in their corner.”

With elite experience in both tennis and pickleball, Bellamy brings the ideal mix of knowledge, strategy, and courtside guidance to help Bond develop her game. 

“There are technical things we’re working on,” mentioned Bellamy. “But the first step is giving her support, building her confidence, and helping her get a game plan before each match.”

Having made the transition from tennis to pickleball herself, Bellamy is helping Bond break old tennis habits and refine the nuances of her pickleball skills.

“We’ve been working on a lot of pattern play. I still have so much tennis in me that I’m playing as if I was on the tennis court,” said Bond. “We’ve been looking at when the opponent is at this spot, this is where I should hit it, as opposed to what I’m programmed from tennis to do.”

“I really want to prioritize singles. I personally like singles because that’s where I find that I push myself mentally the most,” she explained. “I want to grow as an individual, and I want to push through my own boundaries, For me, that happens when I’m alone on the court. I have no one else there to support me. I’m all by myself.”

In addition, Bond specifically wanted a female coach.

“I’ve always preferred having a female coach, and I’m so grateful for her,” she shared. “Beth brings a new mindset that I haven’t had, so I’m excited to push myself, learn more, and continue to grow.”

“She supported me for the whole event, helping me with my warmups, organizing practice, and giving me advice during the matches,” concluded Bond. “She got me through the first match I won. I beat Lingwei Kong, who’s an amazing top 20 player. If Beth wasn’t there, there’s no way I would’ve won. I was going to Beth during the timeouts saying, 'What do I do? I’m so nervous!' There’s seriously no way I could have gone through without her.”

If her breakthrough in Atlanta is any sign of what’s ahead, Bond’s decision to seek high-level coaching may just prove to be the turning point of her pro career.

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