Shocking News: Jessica Pegula makes Shocking admission as she reveals remaining goal for 2024
Jessica Pegula has admitted she has struggled to find her usual level of “consistency” across a difficult 2024 – though believes a strong end to the season is possible.
World No 6 Pegula has been one of the most-improved WTA players in recent years, winning five WTA titles and finishing inside the top five of the singles rankings in 2022 and 2023.
However, despite a run to the title in Berlin in June, the US No 2 has largely had a difficult time throughout this season.
The 30-year-old was beaten in round two of the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the Olympics, and missed the French Open – and most of the clay season – due to injury.
Pegula is down in 20th in the WTA Race to Riyadh and faces some rankings pressure as she defends her Canadian Open title in Toronto, having won the WTA 1000 event in its Montreal staging a year ago.
Canadian hard courts have been a happy hunting ground for Pegula, who reached back-to-back semi-finals in 2021 and 2022 before her 2023 triumph.
And, as she gears up to start her title defence against Karolina Pliskova, the American revealed that she was feeling optimistic for the rest of the season.
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She said: “It’s not been the sweetest year for me after a couple of injuries and changing coaches. The results have not come, nor have I had the consistency that I had shown in the last two to three years.
“I saw that I have been making semi-finals in Canada since 2021, and it was like… I don’t really think about these things, I didn’t realize – have I really been playing so well?
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“At the time, you don’t think about it, but now coming from a tough season, I look back and value it much more. It’s crazy to think about the consistency I’ve had these years. I can’t believe it myself, but this 2024 is different.
“Many challenges have arisen, but at the beginning of each season, I always think things might not go perfectly – I’ve had many bad experiences at the start of my career.
“Now the goal is to finish the year much better than I started.”
One advantage for Pegula is that she will be able to play on hard courts for the rest of the year, with the 30-year-old among the very best on the surface.
And the former world No 3 is excited to step back onto her favourite, though conceded an Olympic campaign on clay – playing singles and doubles – may have affected her preparation.
“The feeling changes when you get back to hard court, especially in my case, considering it’s my favourite surface and where I know I can do well,” added Pegula.
“I’ve always enjoyed competing on hard, I know perfectly well what I have to do, I noticed it from the first time I stepped on this surface.
“Now that I’m coming from the clay courts, without having had much time to adapt, I don’t know if I’ll feel as comfortable right from the start as in other years, maybe I’ll need a couple of extra days.
“Being at the Olympics prevented me from developing that block of hard court training – but it was for a good reason.”
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