Pegula criticizes the speed of the courts in Cincinnati: "I preferred how they were before"
Everyone knows that this U.S. tour is Jessica Pegula's favorite on the calendar, although the 32-year-old tennis player spoke about how the conditions of the courts have slightly changed her perception.
Final in Washington, round of 16 in Toronto, and for now, round of 16 in Cincinnati. These are the results that Jessica Pegula has been marking in her favorite tour of the calendar, the one where she always brings out her best version on the court.
A court where the play is getting slower, because the conditions are heavier. The American spoke about this topic and many more on the Tennis Channel table after defeating Emma Navarro in her last match. Before facing Cirstea on the next screen, the Buffalo player talks about her aspirations for the upcoming US Open, the feelings she has been experiencing in these recent tournaments, and her philosophy on handling tough losses.
Jessica Pegula criticizes the conditions of Cincinnati
“I prefer the faster courts a bit more. I remember a few years ago, specifically the year I reached the final, they were really fast for a couple of years. Now they are not as much, but I think they still play quite fast. After switching to Wilson, with the regular ball they use for women, the ball flies quite a bit. I like faster conditions, although sometimes I feel it’s hard to control them. Between Washington, Toronto, and now here, you have to try to adapt to how the court plays under each different condition. And then, when we get to New York, it will also be different. When you can advance in the tournament, I tend to prefer the lighter and faster conditions.”
How she processes losses
“It was a very quick change from Washington to Toronto. Honestly, before Washington, I had hardly any preparation. I wasn't feeling great, I was sick, but I kept winning matches. It was hot, and I felt a bit exhausted when I arrived in Toronto. For me, what's important is how I can recover physically; I want my movement to be much better, so we worked on that during the week. I needed to recover my legs and a bit more athletic capacity because I hadn’t been working as much on the court, so that was a priority. I didn’t try to think too much about Toronto. I think you have to have a short memory and change things when you arrive in a new city.”
Pegula's goal: to arrive well at the US Open
“It always depends on how this week goes, but I’m not going to play the week before the US Open. I’ll be in New York all that week, which is what I’ve done the last few years, and it has worked really well for me. I’ll try to take advantage of it, even though I am playing a tournament here; I’m still trying to work on things, go out to serve a bit more, or improve aspects that I think need work after the last few weeks. Even though you want to do well in the tournament, for me, it’s important to always feel like I’m improving. Nothing feels perfect, and that’s fine when you’re in a match. But I like to work on the things I can improve, and I hope to see progress during this tournament and maintain that momentum until the US Open.”
An increasingly demanding tour
“It has been quite a busy week. I think there is more and more activity here due to the amazing facilities they have, and now everyone wants to come more and stay longer. For Americans, this tour becomes really frantic; there are a lot of things between Cincinnati and New York. Additionally, the US Open has become so big that we have more commitments with sponsors, but it’s a lot of fun. I love the Midwest fans; I think they are very nice and fun, and it’s a very welcoming experience before reaching the craziness of New York.”
Another victory against Emma Navarro
“I’m not sure if I like playing against Emma that much. I like that it seems I usually come out victorious, but I feel that every time I play against her, it’s very tough. She makes everything very physical, moves very well, and is a very complete player. I always end up quite exhausted because I know she will make me run a lot and I will have to be very patient. Today I think I just played smart, fought through some long games, and played very well on the pressure points when I needed to. It was a very tough match.”
In this circuit, comfort never arrives
“The first rounds are never easy. I don't know if you ever really feel that comfortable, honestly. I always think the first match is the hardest, but after that, when you get to the second, sometimes you can feel more comfortable and think you’ve already won a couple of matches, but it becomes harder each time. I don’t know if you can ever really feel comfortable; you just hope to find your rhythm at some point, maybe in a later round, and have a really good match and a day that is a bit less stressful, though that doesn’t always happen.”
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Pegula critica la velocidad de las pistas en Cincinnati: "Me gustaba más cómo eran antes"