WTA FINALS

November 1, 2024

Jessica Pegula

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Jessie, welcome to Riyadh. Talk to us about your experience here so far the last few days, what your thoughts are initially of being here.

JESSICA PEGULA: It's my first time here, so I'm obviously having a first-time experience, like a lot of us are.

So far it's been really nice. Super welcoming. Everyone has been super nice. I feel like they're very supportive of us being here. So far I've really enjoyed my time.

THE MODERATOR: Who would like to get started?

Q. In terms of the practices you've been able to get on the court, how are you feeling energy-wise, last push of the season, but also conditions?

JESSICA PEGULA: Feeling really good. I had a little bit of a break after Asia before coming here, after Wuhan. I feel like I got to go home and get a good little bit of a reset. It's always weird going into the end of the year knowing you have one more event left, then you can kind of relax a little bit.

Yeah, it's so far been good. Like I said, it's been welcoming here. Everything has been super easy, practicing and everything. Obviously with a much smaller amount of people, it seems less stressful almost in a way than a big tournament. Everything has been really smooth, really easy.

The court I feel like is playing well. It's probably medium-fast. Indoors is always fast as well. A little bit of altitude here. I think it fits my game pretty well. I've had some really good practices with some of the girls already.

I feel like it suits actually a lot of players as well. I think it will be tricky to kind of see how everyone adjusts. So far it seems like fairly quick. Obviously a little bit of altitude I think will help a lot of the big servers, as well.

Q. You talk about it being your first time here. Do you personally have any reservations or concerns about playing in Saudi Arabia, given the human rights record here, particularly around women's rights and the LGBTQ+ community?

JESSICA PEGULA: For me not really. We've had long discussions about it. It's been in the works I feel like for a while.

To me, I mean, we've been already able to do a lot of things here for a lot of the young girls, the young women. I've had several people come up to me and just tell me how amazing it is to see us competing here, how it's really going to help the sport, help a lot of young girls.

This woman told me yesterday they've got 60,000 I think girls now playing tennis in schools. We got to do Special Olympics the other day where it was girls that have said they just started playing tennis or starting to learn to play tennis. I feel like when you have those moments, you know on the good side what you're doing for the sport.

Again, I think it was the right decision for us. I don't really have any issues playing here. So far everyone has been super welcoming.

Q. You've spoken about that before, of wanting assurances. Did you find you were given those? Did you feel that the players were kind of listened to on their concerns and reservations about potentially coming here?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, there was a lot of debate back and forth, a lot of pros and cons and everything.

We knew if we came here what our kind of goals were as far as growing it for women, helping women play, a lot of young girls, doing a lot of activations with them and stuff like that.

We know, of course, anywhere you go, there is pros and cons. I think we were just working on the good messaging that we were able to do and to send, and what we could really do to transform the game here in in country.

Even though I know it's not perfect for everyone involved, I think, again, when you have women coming up to you and telling you like the things I just said, girls are starting to play tennis now, opening it up, that's really cool. When you are able to do clinics with these young girls who are so excited. Even the girl ballkids were just freaking out seeing us in the hotel, asking for autographs. When you see you're changing those girls' lives, I think it starts to take precedent over what you're trying to achieve.

I feel like it's the right thing.

Q. What do you make of the group that you've been drawn in? What do you think you learned from your last two very different appearances at the Finals that help you going into this one?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, I have had, yeah, two very opposite experiences. Obviously the first one not so great. The second one was pretty good.

Anyways, yeah, I think, too, the conditions were obviously completely different last year playing outside. There were a lot of other variables which I think I was able to handle really well.

Coming here, you kind of know what you're going to get. It's inside. It definitely caters to big servers. I think I was able to avoid most of them in my group (smiling), which I think is always interesting. Having three of the biggest servers on the tour in one group, that will obviously be an interesting group, kind of different type of tennis.

I think for my group, I like some of the matches. I feel at least I've won, beaten all of them in my group. It doesn't mean I'm going to beat them this week, but it gives me a little confidence that I'm familiar playing them, able to get wins over them as well. Obviously been on the other side of it. I kind of know what I need to do, what I need to execute in my game to be successful. I'm looking forward to it.

People always say every group is tough 'cause it's the best players in the world, so... It's going to be just a challenge I think mentally probably the most, trying to figure out what you have to do to beat the best players in the world.

Q. How much do you personally review matches in full? Have you watched the US Open final in full? Do you watch it?

JESSICA PEGULA: No (laughter).

Q. Do you reflect with pride, though?

JESSICA PEGULA: I don't watch any matches in full. I don't know if my coaches do. I'm sure they probably watch a lot more.

I remember pivotal points or moments. Maybe I'll go and watch what happened or I'll watch highlights or something like that. I don't really sit and watch the entire match.

I think, at least for me as a player, you remember the big moments pretty well. You can kind of snap back into that moment pretty quickly and realize, Oh, I was thinking of going here, decided to go here, she hit a winner. You always have those moments, at least for me, very easily. You're able to go back pretty easy.

I think I try to learn from those moments and learn from what you should do at big points. I'll go back and maybe I should have covered their favorite serve, maybe I didn't. Maybe I got lucky, unlucky. I go back and review those types of things, but I definitely don't watch a full match.

Like I said, now with all the video and stuff like that, I think we all know what we have to do to play each other. Then, of course, you're always working on other things that you hope will maybe throw them off. Maybe you're working on something new which you usually don't do, which is always a good thing.

Yeah, I don't know. I haven't watched the US Open final. I mean, obviously I didn't really want to for obvious reasons. I think now I've been able to appreciate that it was a really good match and a high-level match. I went to Asia, and it wasn't the greatest Asian Swing ever. I think it kind of snaps you back pretty quickly.

Like tennis is, it's a new week with new challenges. That's all I'm really focusing on now.

Q. One of your coaches Mark Merklein and Matt Daly, Coco's new coach, co-founded the Grip MD together. Have you seen the Grip MD? Have you ever used to it? Did their relationship have anything to do with Coco ending up with Matt?

JESSICA PEGULA: I know they're really, really good friends. They, like, have been. They worked together previously I think with James Blake.

I have seen Grip MD like prototypes. I did also change my grip a little bit earlier this year. Didn't have a lot of time in season, as I'm sure Coco is probably doing the same thing. I had been wanting to change my grip.

Q. On the serve?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah.

When I started working with Mark, it was definitely something that he was for. It's just finding the right time and the right way to incorporate it.

I think him and Matt are just on the same page. They were joking to me, I think they shut the Grip MD down or something. They're like, Man, maybe we should start this business back up because Coco is talking about it, all this stuff. It's been kind of a funny topic of conversation.

Yeah, I have fiddled with my grip a little bit on the serves and volleys. I wouldn't say I full committed. Yeah, just something that you kind of work and you try. It's something that I actually tried to do with David, as well, and it just didn't work out.

I think, yeah, they're very for it, so... I would say they're very open to wanting to change things. It's just so hard in tennis finding time to make big changes when you have to go out and compete every single week.

Q. How close are we to a Ready 24 SPF?

JESSICA PEGULA: Very close. Next year. Maybe next year.

Q. Obviously you open against Coco. Know each other very well. On a medium-quick indoor court at the end of the season, how do you break that down with your analyst hat?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, it depends. I think it suits my game. At the same time, Coco, she's pretty good indoors as well. She's had good records indoors. Obviously has a really big first serve. If she's serving really well, I think it can make it difficult.

I think it suits my game. Because of that, it depends on how we're serving. You know she's going to move great and get a lot of extra balls back.

I don't know. On a medium court, I feel like it favors me. At the same time I feel like she's fast enough to get a lot of extra balls back that maybe other girls don't. So yeah, I think it will be a tricky matchup.

I don't know if we've ever played indoors. I don't think. Yeah, I'll be curious to see. We practiced with each other once before we came here back in Florida, obviously knowing we could definitely play each other. I think it will be an interesting matchup.

I mean, I like the speed of the court. I'm not sure how much she does. I know if she serves well, it's going to be super tough. I'll try to do my best to kind of take away some of her serve as soon as I can, and hopefully myself be able to serve well and get some free points.

Q. This is the final in tennis. How did you see Riyadh? Do you want to see a champion here with us?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, obviously I would love to do well here. I came back from the Asian Swing and just actually got to go home to Florida and really kind of train and reset. Even kind of plan a little bit.

It's weird being able to plan for this week. Knowing you're going to be kind of done, you can plan a little bit off-season as well, what your plans are for training, trips, holidays, all that stuff.

It's always, like, an exciting time of year because I think we come into the Finals excited obviously that we've made it, a chance to do really well at such a big event. We kind of know we can take a vacation afterwards (smiling). I think that's how a lot of girls feel.

It's a super exciting week for us. Being able to come here and being treated really, really well, super welcoming, I feel like everything has been just really, really nice and easy. It makes it really fun for us. We just get to focus on competing, hopefully having some good matches for everyone to come watch. So I'm excited.