Pegula: "In the last six months I have become a better player"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 10 Mar 2026 | 00.14

Pegula: "In the last six months I have become a better player". Photo: Getty Images

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Jessica Pegula is in the best form of her career. The American arrives at Indian Wells 2026 as one of the contenders to win the title after claiming the Dubai WTA 1000 and reaching the semifinals in the last seven tournaments she has played. She is already in the fourth round of the Californian tournament after coming back against Jelena Ostapenko 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Following her hard-fought victory against the Latvian, she spoke at the press conference about the challenges of competing against Ostapenko and how to manage pressure in crucial moments, as well as the differences in court conditions between day and night in Indian Wells.

Facing Jelena Ostapenko, a real challenge

"It's always very tough, it can be frustrating the way she hits winners and takes time away from you. It can be really tough. Luckily, I managed to hold my serve in the second set and find opportunities to break her, but yes, it was very tough. Honestly, I don't think I played badly at any point. In fact, I thought I played quite well throughout the match. If anything, I'd say I was able to raise my level towards the end."

Jessica Pegula reveals how she tries to hide nervousness and pressure

"I think you can feel it a lot when someone starts well, when they get nervous, when they get nervous at the end trying to close out the match, or when someone plays more freely because they are behind. Those changes in dynamics can be strongly felt. I think sometimes it’s not perceived as much when watching from the outside, or maybe it is, but especially on television, it’s harder to feel those momentum changes."

"But I think when you gain experience and find yourself in those situations many times, you can perceive those dynamic changes very well, even when they are about to happen or when you manage to stop them. There are ways in which the match moves where you can almost anticipate what will happen. Like a kind of intuition. You feel a bit of the match’s pulse: how it’s evolving, what the key points are, or the crucial moments."

Although today it was hard for her to hide it

"Today I was a bit more expressive than I usually am, probably in a negative way, showing some frustration, especially at the beginning because I could see she was playing well and I thought, 'here we go again, I'm going to have to go through this again.' Maybe I expected her to start worse. I don't know, maybe I could have closed it out in two sets, but I'm not typically very expressive. So even when I feel my attitude isn’t great, people usually don't notice much."

"But today it showed a bit, and I had to control myself and refocus so that it wouldn’t slip away from me, because if it does, it starts affecting everything. I kept telling myself that I wasn't actually playing badly. It's frustrating because you're not playing well, but I didn't feel like I was playing poorly. I thought I was playing quite well. I was just letting some opportunities slip, some breaks here and there, or maybe some shots where I could have been more aggressive. So at a certain point in the match, I had to control myself to make sure I kept thinking clearly and not let emotions overwhelm me."

She prefers playing in heat at Indian Wells

"I played a match in the evening, and it was quite cool. Today, to be honest, was a very pleasant day, not too hot. The first days here were quite hot, over 30 degrees. When it’s hotter, the ball flies more, and the game is faster. When it’s cooler, the conditions become a bit slower."

"I usually like playing in more heat and faster conditions. And then there's the wind, which can sometimes be very strong and also has a significant influence. It's complicated; you always have to adapt day by day. It's something I've been trying to improve. I prefer playing during the day because we train more during the day, and I'm more used to it."

Her opponent in the fourth round will come from the clash between Bencic and Mertens

"They are tough rivals. To be honest, I don't have a great record against them, and they have been quite challenging for me. I don’t think I've even won a set against Belinda, so it will be a challenge for me. But when I saw the draw of this tournament, which has not been one of my best tournaments in the past, I decided to take each match as a challenge, and I’m looking forward to facing whoever it may be."

"I think in the last six months, I've become a much better player and I'm eager to test myself to try to overcome either of them, knowing they will be tough opponents who have also had good results here."

The reason behind her great form

Part of it is the experience, knowing that you just have to keep playing point by point. There are also specific things I focus on: covering certain serves, trying to serve well, hitting wide, serving to the middle, placing shots better… When you focus on specific things, everything else becomes quieter, and you can concentrate on one thing at a time.

When you start to get frustrated or too excited, that can help you reset and get back into the match. In the end, when I play well and come through in a tough match like today's, it's because I'm thinking clearly. Even if I'm in trouble, I’m thinking about which serves to cover, where to hit the ball, where to serve, or where the first shot should go. It doesn't always work, but I think focusing on that allows you to relieve some pressure and play more freely," concludes a Jessica Pegula who is becoming an increasingly formidable tennis player.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Pegula: "En los últimos seis meses me he convertido en una mejor jugadora"