"Never saw it coming" - Jessica Pegula's ex-coach David Witt speaks out on sudden split after her Australian Open 2R exit, calls it a 'total surprise'
Jessica Pegula's former coach, David Witt, has opened up about their unexpected split after the 2024 Australian Open.
Pegula entered the Australian Open as the fifth seed, aiming to advance past the quarterfinals of the Major for the first time in her career. She kicked off her campaign with a dominant 6-2, 6-4 win over Rebecca Marino. However, Clara Burel pulled off a stunning upset over the American in the second round, claiming a 6-4, 6-2 victory.
Shortly after her disappointment at the Melbourne Slam, Pegula made the decision to part ways with her coach, Witt. The duo had been working together since July 2019, following the end of his 11-year partnership with Venus Williams in 2018.
Witt recently expressed surprise at Pegula's decision to end their coaching relationship, revealing that he hadn't seen it coming.
"It was a total surprise to me," Witt told TENNIS.com. "Never saw it coming."
Witt opened up about the "tough" split, emphasizing the strong friendship he had developed with the American over the past five years. He also acknowledged the inherent instability of coaching due to the quick turnovers and expressed gratitude for having only worked with two players in the past 15 years.
"We’ve had a great friendship for five years, so it’s very tough. I really value my relationship with my player just as much as I love coaching. It’s a tough business. I’ve been pretty lucky that I’ve only been with two players the last 15 years," he said.
The 50-year-old then fondly reminisced about coaching Jessica Pegula to her maiden WTA title at the 2019 Citi Open, highlighting the joy he experienced at watching his players succeed.
"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.
"You just never know how high a player can go. Me as a coach, I go into it thinking I’m going to try to get the best out of the player that I’m working with. I think we’ve done that," he added.
"Jessica Pegula is obviously knocking on the door of winning a Major, our goals were to win a Slam, that was cut short" - David Witt
Thomas Witt conveyed his regret that he and Jessica Pegula wouldn't achieve their goal of winning her maiden Grand Slam title together, but emphasized that their time together had been "awesome."
"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 said in the same interview.
Witt also shed light on his future prospects, disclosing that he was looking forward to tackling the next challenge of working with a new player.
"I love coaching, I love being out on the tour, helping someone—whether that’s a male or a female. I’m looking for the next challenge, the next person that wants to work hard, set goals, grow and succeed," he said.
Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula's next choice for coach remains to be seen as she recovers from a neck injury, which forced her withdrawal from the WTA 1000 events in Doha and Dubai.