US OPEN

August 31, 2024

Jessica Pegula

Press Conference

J. PEGULA/J. Bouzas Maneiro

6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Jess, your thoughts on the match.

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I thought it was pretty straightforward today. I think I just played some solid tennis. Didn't have to do too much or anything crazy out there.

I felt like I was able to execute my strategy and figure things out and get it done pretty quickly.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. We've seen a lot of players or at least some players kind of talk about the grind of the summer schedule and the struggles that they've had, especially with the Olympics, but you haven't really seemed to have that issue. Why do you think that is, and what's your secret?

JESSICA PEGULA: Well, I think I've been a little bit maybe more fresh than other players because I skipped the entire clay season. I wasn't able to play the French. So I think when I started on grass, I had a couple of months off. Also, I didn't go to the Middle East.

I think in a weird way, it was almost a good thing looking back that I've been able to kind of start that part of the year pretty fresh. Even though it was a lot going back and forth with the Olympics and the surface changes and all that.

At the same time I think I was more fresh than probably everybody else was. I can't say if I would have played the entire beginning of the year I would feel as fresh as I do now, but I think that maybe played into it a little bit. At least that's what I've been telling myself.

Q. A question about someone who is in your half of the draw. I wonder if you've just noticed the rise -- obviously you have -- Jasmine Paolini. The way she's been able to flip that switch. She was 4 and 16 at the slams before this year. 18 and 3 this year. You've beaten her five times, won all ten sets against her. I wonder what you make of how she's been able to transform herself, maybe you see something different about her. Do you feel a little bit of similarity, you were sort of a late bloomer, although your progression was steadier?

JESSICA PEGULA: Definitely. I think every time I played her I always felt like she was better than her ranking. She hits a really good ball. Even though she's small, she gets pretty good pop on her ball, moves pretty well, angles, has good feel. I felt like she did a lot of really good things.

I'm not that surprised, to be honest. I feel like something obviously clicked with her with winning these matches and becoming more consistent mentally. It seems like maybe she's playing a little bit more aggressive too.

Sometimes when that clicks, you just get this feeling going in those matches where you know how to play the big points, and you have a lot of momentum. It seems like she's been able to find that.

I saw her doing well, like, at the end of last year. She had some good wins and playing tough players really tight. I was, like, she's dangerous. She's a good player obviously.

I honestly am not that surprised. Obviously two slam finals, though, is crazy and having the most slam wins this year is a crazy stat.

But, yeah, I think mentally I assume she must have just been able to figure a couple of things out and has been using that the whole year. I love seeing players do well later on in their career. I think it's a nice story because we get so attached to all the young stories of everyone being so young, and it's if you don't do well right away, then all of a sudden you become like a journeywoman and you become the one that it never really worked out, and all this kind of negative stuff.

We've seen that kind of change a lot the last few years. Like you said, I'm kind of one of those people. So I like to see those stories turn out. Everyone has a different kind of challenge and a journey ahead of them.

Q. The other day Coco Gauff said that Ben Shelton made fun of her for her inability to wave as she went out on the court and wave to the crowd at the end of the match.

JESSICA PEGULA: Okay.

Q. Is there an art to that?

JESSICA PEGULA: I don't know. Is she a bad waver?

Q. I think he said she was.

JESSICA PEGULA: I guess it is kind of awkward. I always feel a little weird. I'm not really sure what to do, if it looks normal. You see a picture, and your hand is kind of like there. It's awkward.

Maybe there is a little bit of an art to it. It reminds me of "The Princess Diaries" when she's, like, You have to like this (indicating). Maybe there's an art that we don't know about.

Q. Bringing it back to you, but third straight year onto the fourth round for you. How have you seen yourself evolve in this tournament in particular over the years?

JESSICA PEGULA: It's been really cool. This is the one I feel like is the most pressure, but at the same time when I was younger always had better results at as well. I qualified here twice, was able to get my first main draw win here of a slam.

So I think there was a lot of positives even though with the pressure. It's not like I exactly love the conditions here either. I feel like I play just as well at the other slams, but I think for some reason I've been able to kind of, I don't know, use that momentum of being an American at the US Open and do pretty well. So maybe the crowd support or being in the U.S. kind of adds a little bit of something.

But yeah, I've had some really good results here now. Maybe it kind of started at first slam being able to qualify at too was a big one for me. I think having those good memories definitely helps every year.

Q. If I had to ask you what was the number one tip for mental health that you've learned through all the work that you've done, the mind work that you've done, what would it be, the most useful one?

JESSICA PEGULA: The most useful one. I would say that it's okay to be emotional. I would say if you want to freak out, if you want to snap, if you want to cry, it's totally fine.

I think it's just once you kind of let all those emotions out, I think resetting is -- you have to kind of just reset. I would say if that's either on court or off the court, I mean, let yourself be sad, let yourself be upset, let yourself be emotional and all those things, but at the same time I think once you get it out, you kind of have to just reset a little bit.

So I don't think it's great to hold things in, but at the same time when you do let them out, you have to look at it as I'm getting it out now, but then the next day I'm snapping right back. I'm going to just do it and get it over with and snap right back.

I think that's something I've gotten a lot better at as well and something that tennis -- it's hard because you have to play the next point, and you can't come out of the game. You can't talk to your coach that much. There's nothing that's really going to change it. You have 25 seconds to kind of let things go.

The same thing when you are playing week-to-week tournaments. You don't have that much time to kind of dwell on your really bad practice or a really bad match that you played. I think have you to kind of keep going.

So I think it's healthy. You don't have to fake it. You just have to let yourself feel whatever you need to feel and then kind of just let it go and move on to the present situation.

Q. You weren't wearing it today, but you are one of the players who represent Adidas with the outfit with the sleeves and the cutouts. It's sort of a unique silhouette. I wonder what you thought of when you saw it and if it had any performance elements that may have helped you on the court?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I wasn't the biggest fan, to be honest, when I first wore it like earlier this year at Indian Wells. They showed it to me, and I was, like, Oh, tough, I don't know.

It grew on me a lot. So I thought it was really cool. I think it looked really good on. I think it looks good on all the players. Obviously they were going for more of a statement with that.

I know that I think the black was supposed to help -- it's super lightweight, first of all, so it wasn't very heavy at all. I think they did color-blocking to kind of help with the heat. So I know that it somehow helped with air flow and heat based on the black and white on the sleeves and the shoulders.

It was nice I guess as well I think to block the sun off your shoulders. People were, like, Wouldn't that be more hot? It was actually have super light and super breathable, so I thought it was pretty cool.

Q. Some players have more input than others on their outfits. Like, for example, Naomi earlier in the week. Is that something you would like to or have thought of in the past?

JESSICA PEGULA: I think it would be cool, but then at the same time I'm kind of just like, Just tell me what you want me to wear.

Q. What are you expecting out of Shnaider in the next round? Obviously you beat her really recently just back in Toronto.

JESSICA PEGULA: Toronto I felt like I was playing really well during that whole week, so it's tough to compare. I mean, we're in a different city, different conditions, different situation.

I feel like she's definitely going to know more what to expect because that was our first time playing each other, and she's been super match-tough this year. Had a lot of good wins. Having an amazing year and kind of has proven herself to be a top-20 player for sure.

I'm just going to try and use what I did well the last match and hopefully it works, but I think I'm going to have to be ready as well for her to kind of adapt and maybe change a few things from the last time we played.