US OPEN

September 7, 2024

Jessica Pegula

Press Conference

A. SABALENKA/J. Pegula

7-5, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Jess, if you would, your thoughts on the match.

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, super-tough match today. Obviously I would love to be in a third set right now, but I guess relatively speaking, happy that I was able to at least get my chances to win a set, considering I was down in the first and in the second.

So was able to find some good tennis. Just wasn't quite able to sustain it. Yeah, congrats to her. I think she played some big tennis in some big moments.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. The Iga match, the Muchova match, this match, all within 72 hours. Have you had a chance to take that all in, these were just one after the other?

JESSICA PEGULA: Probably not, because I'm just annoyed I lost right now. Everyone is like, Congrats, amazing tournament. I'm like, Eh, whatever. (Laughter.)

I think maybe once I decompress a little bit, I'm sure I will be a little bit more appreciative and see all of that. At some point. I should probably do that at some point.

Yeah, it's been kind of a crazy couple of days, so hopefully I'll get some time after this to kind of just relax and just, you know, look back at what I've been able to do the last month.

Q. Sometimes tennis can be so repetitive, especially if you've been around for a while. You got to experience new things. That kind of atmosphere in a final where you're the home player. Were you able to appreciate that, and during the match were you able to take that in a little bit or were you just locked in?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, it was so loud when we walked out. I think with the roof being closed it felt even louder. It was a really cool atmosphere, really cool experience. Obviously I was trying to at some point to take it all in and at the same time try and focus on the match in front of me.

There was definitely a couple of moments where I tried to not rush and kind of stop myself a little bit and be able to, yeah, appreciate that crowd noise, because it was definitely super, super loud.

On the changeover I'm always looking up and I see the celebrities. It's kind of hard not to because literally right in front of us. I was, like, wow, there's definitely a lot of people here. I thought that was pretty cool and pretty amazing that I got to play in front of them.

Q. I know you've spoken about having a bit of time off here, the benefits. I wondered, did you feel physically different this year compared to other years? Did you feel fresher and mentally as well?

JESSICA PEGULA: Beginning of the year I would say I was burnt out. Then I think coming into this swing I do feel fresher. I think by usually US Open I'm like everything is kind of falling apart. A lot of girls are like that. I feel like the doctors and the physios are very busy here.

Actually this year I felt a lot better. And I think with the amount of matches I've actually played since Paris just with the travel and the schedule, I've actually felt pretty good. I think that's a really good sign of my fitness and just kind of getting back to normal than what I felt this year. I think my immune system, like a lot of things are just a lot better and I feel like I'm in good shape now.

I would say better this year maybe compared to last year, but if we're talking about beginning of the year, I would say no. I think I've reset a little bit since then.

Q. Following up on that question, I mean, obviously whatever, 2022, you were third and maybe in some ways more consistent throughout the year, but would you agree with the assessment that this is the best tennis that you have played, the level that you're at? If you do agree with that assessment, why so? Are those things that you feel you can carry on going forward next year and continue to improve?

JESSICA PEGULA: I mean, honestly, I really don't think I'm playing that much better than I was last year or other previous years. I feel like there's moments where I've played actually better.

Like, I think I've said before, my movement and my serve has gotten a little bit better. So I think there are certain parts that maybe are a little bit more consistent than they used to be.

I'm sure there's other days where maybe I've served better. But I think as far as a baseline, it's not as much up and down throughout the weeks and through matches. I would say the same for my movement.

So I think those things have improved a little bit. So I don't know if I would say I'm playing better. The ball, am I seeing it like a watermelon every single day? Not quite, but I think with those other things, maybe that's why it may seem like I'm playing my best tennis.

But I really think it's just more working on a couple of little things that maybe weren't my strengths that have been a little bit better consistently.

Q. If I heard you correctly in the post-match interview, you had a pretty big contingent of family here, I think you said both your parents. I know you typically have a small group. What's it like to be out there with that kind of personal support?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, it was really cool. I had a lot of friends that were just, I'm flying in, I'm coming, I don't care. I'm going to get off work, all this stuff.

I thought that was really cool, because I felt like in a way, not just my journey, but my friends and family have been on this journey with me as well. My family obviously. But even some really close friends who we've sacrificed a lot of -- or who have even played a little bit with me when I was younger, but have sacrificed a lot of things that we don't really get to do a lot together.

They know how it is and maybe they played or they understand by now that we don't live a normal life. So I think for them, it was really fun, too, with how many maybe things I've had to miss, for them to kind of come in and see this is why. I think that's really cool.

And almost in a way, like, they've kind of earned that, too. So I think it was really fun. And my family, yes, of course, but for my friends to kind of fly in is really nice. Hopefully I get to see them tonight.

Q. You said before the semifinals you were feeling a little bit loose but today you started really well. What were the nerves like heading into the day and what it was like getting to speak with Steph Curry before the match started?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, today I actually felt really good. I wasn't really that nervous. I just felt like I was ready to go and it was a fun atmosphere obviously. It maybe changes once you're in the match, but I didn't feel flat, I didn't feel nervous. I actually felt really good. I thought that was a good sign.

I thought I handled the moment more or less pretty well, besides obviously not winning, but as far as everything else, I think I did a good job.

Yeah, being able to stalk to Steph, that was really cool. I met him kind of briefly at the Olympics during the opening ceremony and we traded pins. But yeah, it was cool for him to come out. I guess he really wants to kind of keep supporting women's sports and get really into it. It was really fun to meet him and also his wife.

Funny story, my husband, his iPhone name is Steph Curry because he loves Steph Curry. If you connect to bluetooth or send him something or AirDrop, it's Steph Curry's iPhone. So I kind of left early and he texted me and he was so excited, he didn't want to say anything. I was like, Please tell me you did not tell him about the iPhone thing. He's like, Oh, yeah, I did. (Laughter.)

I thought that was really cute. He was like, No, he loved it. I was like, Did he? Or did he really think you were kind of crazy? I guess he thought it was pretty funny. He was like, Oh, you've got to show my wife that.

That was kind of a cool moment for him because he's a diehard Steph Curry fan, and I think I actually first watched him at a NCAA tournament in Buffalo. He always says he's an OG fan, so that was really cool.

Q. You have talked in the past about your incremental progress and what it's done for your confidence, winning a 250, winning a 500. Does this two weeks, getting to this final, do you think this fits into one of those, this is enough to get you into sort of one of those categories of something that builds confidence for you?

JESSICA PEGULA: Oh, yeah, if I can't take confidence from this, there's got to be something wrong.

So, I mean, I think I've taken confidence from winning a 250, from winning a 1000, from being able to win another 1000. Multiple ones now. Then to be able to be a Grand Slam finalist, I think that was kind of the last thing for me, right, was I made a lot of quarterfinals but can I make a semi, can I be a contender to actually win a Grand Slam.

I mean, looking back, I've lost again to a really good player. I lost to girls that pretty much won the tournament every time. I know my level was right there. And I think maybe I handled the moment a little bit better this year, like I said before, with just having maybe a different perspective of I had a rough start to the year and I didn't really expect to be doing this well in the hard court swing, and I was able to kind of flip that script.

So I think when I came into here, it was almost less pressure kind of in a way, because I was just happy I was in another quarterfinal. My slam record this year was not great. So I think maybe that perspective maybe helped me through that moment, and then I was able to obviously have a great match in the semi, come from behind there, and put myself in a chance to win a Grand Slam.

I think for sure I will take a lot of confidence from this in maybe like a hour or two, because like I said, I'm kind of annoyed. Not even annoyed losing the tournament. I think it's more just I was looking at it at, like, I just wanted to win the match. Now there is, like, things that are just in my head that I feel I should have done better and stuff like that. But like I said, I think that will pass in a little bit.

Q. You have always been very clear and straightforward in terms of how you described the players ranked before you, Iga, Aryna, their games and what they represent amongst the competitive elite of the sport. I'm curious what you think you represent within kind of that echelon.

JESSICA PEGULA: That's a good question. I don't really know. What do you guys think I represent? What are some adjectives?

What people tell me is I always have a quiet confidence, I'm pretty calm, I feel like I'm good at, I don't know, I'm very aware. I just have a lot of awareness and perspective I think of what my journey, you know, what that journey has been like and what it's been for me.

So I feel like, I don't know, maybe I'm just the one that sees things in perspective, that sees things a little bit differently. Obviously my family is a little bit different, as well, and I think I have a good kind of sense of where that kind of fits into my life and what it's going to be after tennis and all these other things.

What's always helped me I think as I have gotten higher ranked and become a better player is just keeping that perspective. That's helped me a lot to become a better player. Just having that awareness and perspective of, like, what tennis is for me.

So I don't know if that helps. I don't know (smiling).