"There were moments I didn't want to play tennis" - Jessica Pegula reflects on overcoming tough times after advancing to maiden US Open final
Jessica Pegula defeated Karolina Muchova to reach her maiden US Open final. After the victory, the World No. 6 reflected on the challenging times she had to overcome during her career.
Pegula didn’t have an ideal start against Muchova, losing the first set 6-1. The Czech continued her form, maintaining a 2-0 lead in the second set. However, Pegula made a strong comeback, winning the next two sets 6-4, 6-2 to advance to her first Major final. In the process, Pegula also became the oldest American woman in the Open Era to reach a maiden Grand Slam final.
The 30-year-old had previously reached the quarterfinals six times in Major tournaments but had never advanced further. After winning her first Major semifinal against Muchova, Pegula reflected on the challenging period of her career that made her consider quitting the sport.
"I don’t know if I thought its not gonna happen, but there's definitely moments where either I didn’t want to play tennis, I didn’t really know if I wanted to do it anymore. You definitely hit those types of low moments," Pegula said in her post match press conference.
Pegula discussed how she has faced many challenges but always managed to overcome them by changing her perspective.
"I’ve had several of those, but in the end I always would kind of snap back and be like okay, what am I talking about. I would always flip the script a little bit and I have always been good at doing that. And I think that’s why I’ve been able to come back from different challenges even better than before," she said.
"I've always felt like, not that it was never gonna happen, I always think the opposite, I always felt like you know what you will figure it out eventually. And that's kind of something I have told myself like I will figure it out, like one of these times. And I think that's just maybe my quiet kind of confidence to myself that I feel like I always have," Pegula added.
Despite winning numerous titles on tour, including 3 WTA 1000 titles, Pegula is yet to add a Grand Slam trophy to her cabinet. To do so, the American will need to overcome a tough challenge in Aryna Sabalenka, who holds a 5-2 lead in their head-to-head.
"Hopefully I can get some revenge": Jessica Pegula ahead of her clash against Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final
Pegula had an impressive buildup to the US Open, winning the Canadian Open and reaching the finals of the Cincinnati Open, where she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka.
A few weeks later, Pegula has the opportunity to avenge her Cincinnati loss against Sabalenka in the US Open final on Saturday. Ahead of the summit clash, the sixth-seeded player expressed her desire to defeat the Belarusian in her on-court interview.
"I mean she showed how tough she is, and why she's probably the favorite to win this tournament. It'll be a rematch of Cincinnati, so hopefully I can get some revenge out here. But I am happy to have a day off. It's kind of crazy that we're playing each other again in the finals," she added
Sabalenka defeated Emma Navarro in straight sets to advance to her second consecutive US Open final and will look to win her third Grand Slam title.
Courtesy of her impressive form, Pegula has become the fourth player in the Open Era to reach the finals of the Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open, and US Open in a single season.