Pegula: "The goal is to end the year much better than I started"

We are kicking off August and the name of Jessica Pegula has barely been heard this season. The American player, who suffered injuries during the clay court swing only to come back winning in Berlin, has been displaced from the top positions in the rankings. Where did that lethal consistency go? Upon her arrival at the WTA 1000 in Canada, where she defends the title conquered twelve months ago, the Buffalo player spoke with the media to analyze her situation and aim towards her short-term goals.

Olympic Experience in Paris

"It all went great, an incredible experience. For the first time, I decided to stay in the Olympic Village, and that changes everything; all the Americans formed a good group to move around, we took the opportunity to meet many other athletes from our country and abroad. It was very fun, a very long week, I cherish the emotion of Coco carrying the flag at the ceremony. It's been very beautiful to see all of us there together, an unforgettable experience."

Analysis of Coco Gauff

"She has grown a lot, both in sports and personally, now we can see her as a much more self-assured person. She knows perfectly well what she wants, although we are all aware that she is still only 20 years old, but she has capitalized on them well with the passage of experiences and learning a lot in these last two seasons. Just a year ago, around this time, when she really started to excel, she had the summer of her life. She is very mature, she doesn't mind talking about mental issues and being open with people, I would say this is the aspect in which I have noticed her change the most in recent times."

Goal: to bounce back in 2024

"It's not being the sweetest calendar for me after a couple of injuries and changing coaches. The results have not come, nor have I had that consistency that I had shown in the last 2–3 years. I have seen in the data that I have been making semifinals in Canada since 2021, and it was like... one doesn't think about these things, one doesn't realize. Have I really been playing so well? At the time, you don't think about it, but now coming from a tough season, I look back and value it much more. It's crazy to think about the consistency I've had these years, I can't believe it myself, but this 2024 is different. Many challenges are arising, but at the beginning of each season, I think things might not go perfectly, I've had many bad experiences at the start of my career. Now the goal is to finish the year much better than I started."

Her Connection with Canada

"I've always liked Canada, although you all know I was born in Buffalo, in the Pittsburgh area, territory that I find quite similar to this one. I've always felt comfortable here, from the first time I came, I imagine the first time might have been as a junior or playing some Challengers, now I don't remember well. What I know is that I was coming here to play for many consecutive years and I always did well, always came back with positive results, that's why it's always a pleasure when this part of the calendar arrives and I get to return. That feeling of feeling at home has served me well, I love that feeling, so I hope it accompanies me once again during these days, both in training and in official matches."

Returning to Hard Court

"In a way, the feeling changes when you get back to hard court, especially in my case, considering it's my favorite surface and where I know I can do well. Only here can we face a really correct bounce of the ball, there's no way you have bad luck or anything strange like that. I've always enjoyed competing on cement, I know perfectly well what I have to do, I noticed it from the first time I stepped on this surface. Now that I'm coming from the clay court, without having had much time to adapt, I don't know if I'll feel as comfortable right from the start as in other years, maybe I'll need a couple of extra days. The fact of being at the Olympics prevented me from developing that block of hard court training, but it was for a good reason."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Pegula: “El objetivo es acabar el año mucho mejor de lo que empecé”