"Feel this on the deepest level possible" - Bianca Andreescu relates to Jessica Pegula's hilarious assessment of being a tour-level player
Bianca Andreescu was in complete agreement with Jessica Pegula's cheeky but hilarious response to playing on the WTA tour after her semi-final loss to Barbora Krejcikova in the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships semifinals. Pegula, who was celebrating her birthday on Friday, lost in three sets, including a 0-6 'bagel' in the deciding set.
Not long after the match, Pegula was already on her way home from Dubai. As she waited for her flight, the world No. 3 took the opportunity to sarcastically highlight the challenges of playing on tour, suggesting that the thrill of playing at the top level can also be accompanied by a situation where one spends their birthday by getting 'bageled' on the court and then having to wait at the airport for a long flight back home later on the night.
"Everyone: “What is it like playing on tour? It must be so amazing!”
Me: gets bagled on your birthday, sitting eating Doritos at midnight, waiting to get on a 16 hr flight home," Jessica Pegula wrote on Twitter.
Everyone: “What is it like playing on tour? It must be so amazing!”
Me: gets bagled on your birthday, sitting eating Doritos at midnight, waiting to get on a 16 hr flight home. 🤣 https://t.co/5YqSZ0xHx5
Reacting to the same, world No. 36 Bianca Andreescu suggested that she could relate to exactly what Pegula meant.
"I feel this on the deepest level possible," Andreescu replied.
I feel this on the deepest level possible twitter.com/jlpegula/statu…
Interestingly, Andreescu also spent some time on the court while celebrating her last birthday, which fell on June 16, 2022. While Andreescu lost to Karolina Pliskova in the singles event of the Bett1open in Berlin on the eve of her birthday, she played a doubles quarterfinal contest on her birthday, partnering with Sabine Lisicki, and the duo won.
Later, Andreescu was surprised by the tournament organizers with a birthday cake and by the crowd who sang "Happy Birthday" to her.
Meanwhile, Pegula enjoyed a good run in the Middle East hardcourt swing, reaching the final of the Qatar Open and the semifinals in Dubai.
Jessica Pegula will win a Grand Slam in 2023, predicts Casey Dellacqua
Jessica Pegula's birthday blues could turn into the joy of a Grand Slam title sooner rather than later, if former player Casey Dellacqua's views on her Grand Slam chances are to be believed. Dellacqua recently picked the American No. 1 as her favorite to clinch a maiden Grand Slam title in 2023. The Australian highlighted Pegula's consistency.
She admitted that there are multiple factors that would need to go Pegula's way at a Grand Slam tournament, but she believes the 29-year-old is knocking on the door of ultimate success at the Majors.
"For me, I think Jessica Pegula's got to be up at the top of the list," Casey Dellacqua said on a podcast episode of The AO Show.
"I think she's still continued a great run of form post the Australian Open over in Doha, she's made another final. I think she's got it all there."
"Obviously, we know how many matches you've got to win over the length of two weeks at a Slam and for things to fall your way in terms of draw," she continued. "But I do believe that she's putting herself in the best position," Dellacqua added.
Pegula has reached at least the quarterfinals in each of her tournaments so far this season. Given her impressive form, she will now fancy her chances at the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open, both WTA 1000 events at home for the top-ranked American player in the world.