Jessica Pegula celebrates turning 30 with surprise birthday cake at San Diego Open
Jessica Pegula brought in her 30th birthday at the San Diego Open on Saturday, with the tournament organizers surprising her with a candle-lit cake and a delightful setup.
Pegula has been recovering from a neck injury since her second-round exit at the Australian Open 2024. The American was forced to miss the Middle East swing, and is currently gearing up for her comeback at the San Diego Open.
On the occasion of her 30th birthday, Pegula was given a surprise by the tournament organizaers. The image shared by the San Diego Open social media handle can be seen below:
"Happy Birthday Jessica," they wrote in their story.
The Word No. 5 made a decent start to the calendar year, making a semi-final appearance at the Adelaide International 1. She will now be hoping to get back on track in San Diego and regain her momentum ahead of the American hardcourt swing.
A few fans had speculated that she was pregnant, given her lengthy absence from the tour after the Australian Open. But Pegula recently dismissed the rumors with a story on social media.
"Not pregnant lol," Jessica Pegula said on her Instagram account.
The American will be without long-time coach David Witt at the San Diego Open. The duo parted ways after a five-year long partnership.
While Witt was surprised by his client's call to move on, he respected the decision and praised Pegula for her work ethic. He also expressed regret that they couldn't capture a Major title together, but said he was grateful for all the other successful moments on tour.
"The hard work she put in and we put in, that was something to remember. Seeing your player succeed is the best feeling in the world," he said in a recent interview.
"She’s obviously knocking on the door [of winning a major]. Our goals were to win a Grand Slam. Obviously, that was cut short, didn’t get to accomplish that, but I think everything else has been awesome," he added in the same interview.
Caroline Wozniacki, Leylah Fernandez and Marta Kostyuk to feature alongside Jessica Pegula at the San Diego Open 2024
Caroline Wozniacki, Beatriz Haddad-Maia and Leylah Fernandez will also be a part of the San Diego Open 2024, alongside Jessica Pegula.
With defending champion Barbora Krejcikova out of the competition due to injury, there will be a new champion in San Diego this year. Pegula and Haddad-Maia will be the top two seeds at the event, followed by Emma Navarro and Russian talent Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Dayana Yastremska, the surprise package in Melbourne this year, is also expected to play, in addition to Caroline Wozniacki and Marta Kostyuk.