THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 9, 2023

Jessica Pegula

Press Conference

J. PEGULA/L. Tsurenko

6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the press conference of Jessica Pegula.

Jessica, busy day, but talk to us about your singles match.

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, was a very good day in singles. Played a really, really clean match. A little tricky closing it out. Expected for her to pick up her level.

But, yeah, I played a really, really good match today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How much, if any, significance do you place on kind of checking off the last quarterfinal of the slams?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, it's definitely really cool. To say that I've done that at all four is something I've wanted to say. Obviously I hope I can do more than that. But at the same time, it's pretty cool to say that I've done that at every slam.

Just the last couple years to be able to accomplish all of that is pretty crazy. Especially here, I feel like Wimbledon is really special to make the final eight as well.

Yeah, it was definitely a goal. Yeah, I'm really happy I get to kind of mark that off.

Q. Frances said earlier that even though he's had a good year, two ATP titles, he felt like he was disappointed just because he had third-round losses at the slams. Have you had years like that, where you feel like you're making progress, it's not just showing up? Do you place more of that weight on the slams? Kind of strikes me as unfair.

JESSICA PEGULA: No, it is. It sucks because you have, like, four tournaments and you really want to do well at those tournaments. I know Frances really likes the grass, has had a great grass court season, winning a tournament, too.

Yeah, I'm sure it is disappointing, like, when you are really excited and you want to do well, then it just maybe doesn't happen or doesn't click.

But, I mean, that's just like every slam and every tournament. It's a long year. Yeah, I mean, he made semis of US Open last year, so he's okay (smiling).

I understand, it's tough losing third round. I had a spell where I couldn't win a first round. Then it became I would win my first two, then I would kind of lose in the third round. Now I've made a lot of quarters but I haven't made a semi.

I think there's always those little gaps where once you break through, it feels great, feels like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders a little bit.

At the same time, it's tough at the slams, especially for the men, three-out-of-five.

Q. What do you attribute this to? Is it experience? The steady progress, now the breaking through.

JESSICA PEGULA: What do I attribute that to?

Q. Yes. Is it experience that you've gained or are you working on things?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I definitely think I've been healthy, so I've been able to play a lot. I feel like that's important nowadays. I feel like when you get hurt, everyone else kind of keeps going, and you kind of are playing catch-up a lot. It can be tough to catch up when you're not playing for months and months. I think that's really important.

And being able to play a lot of matches, gain a lot of confidence, just keep putting myself in these opportunities where I'm able to gain a lot of experience.

Then I think I've just done a good job also of just, like, riding the momentum of every week. I remember when I first made the first quarterfinal of a slam a couple years ago, I was worried 'cause I was in quallies of Doha, I was like, I don't want to be that person that made the quarters of a slam and loses first round.

It's tough to be able to carry that momentum. But I think I just kind of rolled with it, took a lot of confidence from that.

I don't know. I think things just started clicking. Definitely experience. I think you get a lot more comfortable playing certain people, being in certain rounds. You get more comfortable when the tournament is drawn out over a week or two weeks, you kind of know how to handle it, your emotions, your energy levels, stuff like that.

I don't know. It's a lot of little things.

Q. You're one of three players left in both draws. How do you manage all those matches, especially going forward?

JESSICA PEGULA: I'm kind of used to it (smiling). I'm used to doing that a lot already. So it's not really that different to me.

I mean, it's nice to have a day off tomorrow. To me, it's fun. I like playing doubles. I think it's a time where I get to work on things and also gain confidence and keep playing.

Obviously I think me and Coco, our priority is singles. But to be able to try to go deep and win a slam in doubles is definitely something we want to do. I know she really wants to do well at the Olympics next year. That's a big goal of ours.

Any time we can play and compete and win, I think it's always great, as long as we're feeling good physically. Usually she always is because she's young. Me, again, I've been healthy, have been able to stay healthy and use it as an opportunity to practice and feel better and just more time on the grass, which I like.

Q. Here in the UK we maybe don't know quite as much about you. You're often dubbed the world's richest tennis player. That's a bit of a nickname you have here in Britain. How does that make you feel? Would you trade that all in to be known as the Wimbledon champion in the UK?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, people say that. I personally don't have that money. It's probably my dad or my parents. I don't know why that kind of stuck.

I mean, I understand, though. My family obviously is pretty well-known back in America.

Yeah, I mean, it is what it is. I mean, it doesn't really bother me. It would be nice if people didn't say that. But do I really care? I mean, not really. It is what is.

But, yeah, I mean, I don't really think it matters how much money you have. Yeah, it would be great to win Wimbledon 'cause then I would also have a lot of money from winning Wimbledon (smiling).

I think I would trade, yes. I think that would be, yeah, probably better.

Q. I've read that you decided to carry on in part because of your mom.

JESSICA PEGULA: I missed the beginning of it.

Q. That you carried on because of your mom. You want to I guess play for her. Can you describe that motivation.

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, my mom, like, sacrificed a lot, especially when I was younger. She was always very supportive in the way of, like, she didn't really get that involved in how I was playing, what I was doing, but she was always trying to brainstorm with me ideas of how to get better, how to get healthy or how to feel better.

So I think, yeah, my mom and I had the relationship where she's not, like, super emotional, talkative in that way, so she would be home. She was also very busy, super independent as well. She'd be off doing her own thing. It's kind of normal for me to be off traveling and doing all these things, stuff like that.

To me, she wouldn't want me to be doing anything else. I think she would want me to keep winning and to keep competing and putting myself out there. Now it's nice when I get to go home and see her. But I think at the same time she's always, like, Good luck in your tournaments. She wants to watch me on TV. I think that inspires her in her recovery, as well, to see me out there still playing.

She just wasn't the type for people to coddle over her, take care of her. She's super independent. In that way it kind of works seeing me out there still playing and working hard.

Basically she doesn't want me around her (laughter). She's just like, Go do your thing, why are you here?

Yeah, it's like normal, I guess.

Q. You were asked before the tournament about the big three. You joked, deadpan, that, I'm not in that. The way you keep going, would you like to crash into that?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, definitely. I think, I mean, everyone knows I've been very consistent. To go a little bit further is obviously the goal.

Yeah, I would definitely love to crash the big three party, if possible (smiling). That would be definitely a goal. I mean, those girls have been playing really well.

At the same time it's good. It's pushing everyone to be better and to improve every week.

Q. Does it make it easier when you have a doubles partner where you both have the understanding that singles is a priority? We care about this, but you're not working with a doubles specialist, per se?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, definitely. Especially schedule-wise I think we're more or less on the same schedule, which is really nice. I think that can be very tricky if you're not ranked as high in singles or ranked as high in doubles. You're trying to play in certain weeks where you get in.

I had that issue a little bit playing doubles, switching partners, stuff like that. It definitely helps that our schedules are so similar, and that we know the priority is singles.

But also we want to get better and do well in doubles, too. It definitely makes it a lot less stressful. I know for some girls it's hard when your singles ranking goes up, you don't have a steady doubles partner, or vice versa. It can be kind of tricky, and you can lose some momentum, whether it's in singles or doubles.

It definitely helps we play a very similar schedule and are doing well in both.