"Can beat these elite women if she can find a little more belief" - Martina Navratilova urges Jessica Pegula to look to Elina Svitolina for game plan
Martina Navratilova has urged American No. 1 Jessica Pegula to have a bit more belief in her attacking game, the only minor flaw in her otherwise brilliant game, according to the veteran.
Pegula became the new World No. 3 on Monday, trailing only Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA rankings. One step behind the 29-year-old is former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Speaking to the WTA Tour about her thoughts on the women's field at the 2023 Canadian Open taking place this week, Navratilova proclaimed that Pegula can beat the top players if she doesn't play too defensively.
Asserting that no one has won a Grand Slam by being defensive all the time, the 18-time Grand Slam champion hopes Pegula will look to Elina Svitolina for inspiration and come out of her comfort zone.
The Ukrainian, who returned after a lengthy maternity break earlier this year, has been on a roll, reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open and the semifinals of Wimbledon.
"I still think she (Pegula) can beat these elite women if she can just find a little more belief in her attacking game.
"You’re not going to win a major strictly playing defense. She needs to get outside of her comfort zone the way (Elina) Svitolina has been doing,” Martina Navratilova said.
Pegula, incidentally, fell in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last month, despite being a break up in the deciding set against eventual winner Marketa Vondrousova. The American is yet to reach a Major semifinal, which Navratilova thinks could form a "scar tissue" if the trend continues.
The former World No. 1 reckons it's only a mental issue for Pegula and nothing technical. In fact, Navratilova asserts that the World No. 3 has improved that side of her game by leaps and bounds in the last few years and could rise even higher.
“She was up 4-1 in the third set against (Marketa) Vondrousova in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, and now she’s 0-6 in major quarters. The more that happens, the greater the scar tissue builds up.
"It becomes a mental thing. Jessie has improved so much -- if you saw her five years ago, you wouldn’t have pegged her as a Top 5 player," Martina Navratilova said.
"It’s a complete unknown - how will she react to having this target on her back?" - Martina Navratilova on Marketa Vondrousova
Speaking of the woman who beat Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, Marketa Vondrousova, Martina Navratilova wonders how the Czech would deal with having a target on her back at the Canadian Open.
The reigning Wimbledon champion is a complete "unknown" but could trouble opponents with her loopy forehands and slice shots that bounce low. Now that she's a top-10 player, the 18-time Grand Slam champion wants Marketa Vondrousova to reach at least the fourth round in Montreal this week.
“It’s a complete unknown -- how will she react to having this target on her back? How will she handle it? With her strokes, that loopy forehand that bounces up high -- opponents don’t like that -- she’s got a nice slice that bounces low," Martina Navratilova said.
"People don’t like that, either. Backhand as solid as a rock. I think with a better serve she’d have better results on the hard courts. She’s Top 10 now; I’d like to see her get to the fourth round at least,” she added.