Jessica Pegula and Sebastian Korda's mindset post-Australian Open exit very important, says tennis journalist
Tennis Channel journalist Jon Wertheim pointed out that it would be interesting to see how American players Jessica Pegula and Sebastian Korda assess their 2023 Australian Open campaigns.
Pegula and rising star Korda both lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open after an exciting run to the quarterfinals. The third seed lost to former two-time Aussie Open champion Victoria Azarenka in straight sets 4-6, 1-6. Korda, meanwhile, retired from his match against Karen Khachanov after being 7-6(5), 6-3, and down 3-0 in the third, citing a wrist injury.
Wertheim revealed that it would be fascinating to see how both players would frame their losses in their respective matches.
"I'm always interested in framing. If you're Pegula, do you say, 'Hey, I got to my fourth quarterfinals in my last five majors or I didn't show up with my tennis when it mattered'," said Wertheim.
.@LDavenport76 and @jon_wertheim share their perspectives on Pegula and Korda's losses, as big opportunities may have been missed.
#TCLive | #AusOpen https://t.co/uiwdEDhIEi
He claimed that the situation might be a bit different for Korda, who reached his maiden quarterfinals at a Grand Slam before losing to Khachanov.
"If you're Korda, you might say, 'Hey, I got to a quarterfinal and beat a former World No. 1 in Medvedev' or do you say, 'Didn't close and leave with an injury'. I think it's really interesting to see how players frame their departures from the majors," he added.
"I feel like I had a good chance to go deeper here than I did by losing tonight" - Jessica Pegula
Jessica Pegula stated that she believes she missed an opportunity to go deeper at a Grand Slam after her exit from the Australian Open. The American was the highest seed left in the women's draw and hadn't lost a set heading into her match against Azarenka and was one of the favorites to win the title in Melbourne.
In her post-match press conference, Jessica Pegula mentioned that despite her loss, it was a successful event for her.
"I feel like I had a good chance to go deeper here than I did by losing tonight. At the same time, again, it's like one match at a time. I had some really good wins at the start of the year and this tournament," Pegula said.
"I think I can walk away saying it was a successful tournament and a successful trip to Australia. Yeah, I definitely felt like I was more confident maybe going in that I could go deeper," she added.