Jessica Pegula has enjoyed a largely successful career on the WTA Tour, reaching a career high of third in the world, with nine singles titles to her name.
The American has made several deep runs at Grand Slams in recent years, recording six quarterfinal finishes since 2021, and a final appearance in 2024.
Pegula reached the championship match at the US Open last season, defeating then-world number one Iga Swiatek en route, before falling at the last hurdle against Aryna Sabalenka.
Though the US star has had plenty to smile about during her days as a professional tennis player, there are parts of the gig that she says take their toll.
Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty ImagesJessica Pegula explains the difficult parts of life on the WTA Tour
In an interview with ‘Tennis Insider Club’, Pegula explained: “I don’t know if I have ever been obsessed with winning. It all kind of feels the same. I feel like at the end of the day, I made the finals of the US Open, great.
“And then I was back in Asia, and you are out there battling, and it all feels the same at the end of the day.
“I am sitting there getting annoyed and frustrated at losing, and everyone is like you just made finals of the US Open but I’m saying I am p—— I just lost in Beijing. You go back to the same thing a couple of weeks later.
“It’s what is so hard about tennis. You have this amazing achievement, and then you are right back.
“I was just right back in Asia, ready to lose my mind, not playing well and frustrated, and everyone was like ‘you just made the final’ and I was like I don’t care, I want to win now.
“You move on to the next week, and that is what I think is so hard about tennis. You don’t really get time to appreciate what you have done.
“It’s not intentionally, and it’s not that I’m saying I don’t care that I made the US Open final, but it’s just that happened, and now I’m in a different situation and a different week, and I’m being told to perform now, and I’m thinking about now.
“When I am thinking about now, the US Open final doesn’t matter at this moment. I am trying to win this match, and we have moved on. The world kind of just keeps moving on, and tennis moves on at a very fast pace.”
Photo by Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty ImagesJessica Pegula’s results at Grand Slams this season
Pegula will hope to emulate last year’s campaign at the US Open in September, especially considering her results at majors this year haven’t been the best.
As the seventh seed at the Australian Open, she won her first two matches comfortably, but bowed out in round three to Olga Danilovic.
Australian OpenRoland GarrosWimbledonUS OpenThird RoundFourth RoundFirst Round–Jessica Pegula’s results at Grand Slams in 2025
She went one round further at Roland Garros and defeated former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, but in her fourth clash in Paris, she fell to French home hope Lois Boisson.
At Wimbledon, Pegula suffered her worst finish since 2019, crashing out in the first round to Elisabetta Cocciaretto, despite winning the Bad Homburg Open on grass just days before.