Pegula, ready to repeat her results at the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia

Jessica Pegula will return for the third consecutive year to the WTA Finals, the tournament that brings together the top eight players of the year and for the first time in Riyadh. The American made it to the final after defeating Rybakina, Sabalenka, and Pegula along the way, but was unable to prevent Iga Swiatek from dominating the match. This season, Pegula wasn't entirely sure she would qualify for the tournament as injuries have marked much of her season. Neck and rib injuries forced her to miss several WTA 1000 events like Doha, Dubai, Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros.

“You panic. You think: 'I can't play, I can't do anything. And with my injury, I also had to rest a lot. I had trouble breathing and sleeping,” she confessed to The National. Pegula made the right decision to rest adequately and not rush her return to the circuit. Although she won the title on the grass in Berlin, it wasn't until the North American hardcourt swing that her great moment arrived. The American had a dream August, reaching three consecutive finals: winning in Canada, making the final in Cincinnati, and reaching the final of the US Open.

That was her great achievement, as it was the first time she reached this stage in a Grand Slam. She ended up losing to Sabalenka and was initially frustrated, but then understood the magnitude of her success as a great learning experience for the future: “I felt I went through many different stages of grief. I was upset about the match, but then I thought: 'wow, I could have won a Grand Slam.' And then I understood it. Later on, I got angrier, I felt frustrated. But then I said to myself: 'well, now I know all the things I want to work on'. So, I felt like everything unfolded in different stages during the following week”.

Her qualification for the WTA Finals seemed like it was going to be more difficult, but the summer changed everything, placing her at number 5 in the Race after the US Open. In the Asian swing, she has only managed three individual wins between Beijing and Wuhan, but the American is determined to achieve the same or better results than last year. “I want to do well there. I want to give myself a good chance to repeat the results I had last year. For me, performing well against a group of the best players in the world is even more challenging than winning a WTA 1000 tournament or something like that. So, you have to be prepared for it, and that will be another challenge that I would love to overcome,” Pegula said.

Riyadh, as a member of the WTA Player Council

Regarding the venue of this year-end event, there has been much talk about its location in Riyadh. As Saudi Arabia is becoming an increasingly important part of tennis, it is inevitable that a tournament of this caliber would eventually take place there. However, for the American, this is good news because in recent editions, there have been many venue changes and various setbacks. Just last year in Cancun, for instance, everything happened. From the courts still being half-built to being forced to play in unfavorable weather conditions of wind and rain, Pegula believes that this time all involved parties will benefit. "We've had a lot more preparation time, so I suppose it will be better. Hopefully, we can get some fan attendance. I know it can also be challenging there, but I hope we can make it happen. I know it was a somewhat controversial stance, but at the same time, it's also innovative in many ways and I hope we can continue to grow that narrative."

Thus, the American concluded her interview convinced that bringing tennis to this country is good for women's tennis and for local women, as it opens up possibilities for them to pursue a professional career in this sport. “I know they have been doing a lot with local tennis camps and different things, spreading the message and giving opportunities to the girls, showing these professional athletes who don't often have the chance to play in their region. I know how important it is to create players and future stars, or just to change someone's career or life. I think it's very important. In that respect, it will be very enlightening".

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Pegula, dispuesta a repetir sus resultados en las WTA Finals de Arabia Saudí