Jessica Pegula – the world’s richest tennis player – has set a deadline on when she will retire from professional tennis despite currently being ranked No. 4 in the world
Jessica Pegula has already laid out her retirement plans(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Billionaire tennis star Jessica Pegula says she’s planning to hang up her racket within the next “two or three years”.
Pegula, dubbed the world’s richest tennis player, has won nine singles titles on the WTA Tour and currently sits No. 4 in the world rankings.
But the American, aged 31, insists she won’t look to emulate the Williams sisters by competing into her forties. The 2024 U.S. Open runner-up has established a cutoff date for her career by declaring she will no longer compete professionally when she turns 35.
Pegula has experienced a difficult season but has still managed to secure three titles, making her the oldest player currently in the top 10. And she still has one future tournament on her radar – the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles – which she hopes might serve as her farewell.
She recently told Caroline Garcia on the Tennis Insider Club: “I don’t [have plans to follow the Williams sisters’ example], I would definitely not be playing at 35, definitely not.
“I think that’s where I for sure have to stop. I think at 31? Yeah, I think it would be cool maybe like to try and make the Olympics, because it’s in LA in a couple years.
“Three years, that’s a long time, though. I’m counting technically like two years, because then you qualify, so I’ll probably have an idea by then if I’m in or not. So we’ll make it sound like two, it’s three.”
Being the daughter of businessman Terry Pegula, she’s set to inherit a chunk of his $7.6 billion fortune, making it unlikely that she’ll continue playing tennis for financial reasons. Terry, who ranks as the 418th wealthiest person according to Forbes, built his wealth through his ventures in the oil and gas industry.
The billionaire also owns sports giants Buffalo Bills (NFL) and Buffalo Sabres (NHL). Among the family’s luxurious assets is a $76 million superyacht named Top Five II and a private jet, which Jessica frequently uses.
Meanwhile, in terms of Pegula’s own wealth from tennis, she has amassed almost $19M from her playing career.
Pegula’s decision to play until the next Olympics was influenced by her former doubles partner and fellow American, Coco Gauff. Having reached No. 1 in the doubles rankings together and represented America at last year’s Paris Olympics, 21-year-old Gauff is insistent that they must team up again in LA.
Coco Gauff has convinced Pegula to team up again for the LA 2028 Olympics(Image: Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Pegula said: “I was talking to Coco, and she was like, ‘You can play until LA.’ She was mad at me because I was like, yeah, maybe a couple more years.
“She’s like, ‘If you’re going to play two more years, you might as well just play another year for the LA Olympics.’ And she’s like, ‘You can’t retire before then.’ This was the year before so it was four years. I was like, ‘Coco, it’s a long time, I’m going to be 34, what are you talking about?’
“She’s like, ‘You can just stay top 20. The way you hit the ball, you’ll be fine.’ She’s like, ‘I’m not letting you retire before the LA Olympics, especially if I qualify.’ I was like, ‘Okay. You’re young, it’s okay, you won’t even be 25 yet, you still can’t rent a car!’”
Pegula also revealed that she won’t make a comeback to professional tennis once she decides to have children. Since winning Bad Homburg, Pegula has gone only 2-4 in her last six matches.
She was knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon in July and suffered a disappointing loss in the third round of the Cincinnati Open. However, she’ll be looking to bounce back at her home Grand Slam event, the U.S. Open, where she reached the final last year.