US OPEN

August 22, 2025

Jessica Pegula

Press Conference

An interview with:

JESSICA PEGULA

THE MODERATOR: Jess, if you would, your thoughts on this year's US Open.

JESSICA PEGULA: Really excited to be back. Excited to get going here. Yeah, lots of thoughts. I don't know. Yeah, I'm excited to be back.

I have already done a couple of press conferences playing the mixed. It feels weird that this is the first one. Happy to be back in New York. Have a lot of great memories here. Excited to get going.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. As you mentioned, gearing up for the mixed, playing it, then having to come down from that, what have the last 48 hours been like for you?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, it was a little weird. We lost, and the matches went kind of late. We didn't even get to the last match.

Had to practice the next morning. And yeah, feels weird. Switching back to the regular duty balls for the women was also a little tricky. Playing outside yesterday, it was really cold and windy.

Definitely yesterday I felt like I had to reset a little bit to get back into the conditions. But I have multiple days before I play, so it's not that big of a deal. I was practicing days before that, too. So all good.

It definitely is a little bit of a weird kind of experience playing on Ashe with such great energy. But at the same time, I'll be back there Sunday night. You know, I have to say it's probably good prep for me to be, you know, used to those crowds and that condition.

Q. Speaking of Ashe, how different is it to play out there versus, let's say, the other big stadiums at Centre Court at Wimbledon?

JESSICA PEGULA: I have never played Centre Court Wimby. That's the only one I haven't played at, which is so weird. So I can't compare.

I don't think it gets much better than Ashe a night match just with the energy and the atmosphere. I don't think you can beat it being in New York City. It's just very electric, rowdy, fun, a little bit chaotic. But I feel like it's just New York kind of in a nutshell.

I think it's an experience, for sure.

Q. In terms of playing tennis at the bottom of this giant, I mean, you don't see that elsewhere. Does that change anything or what is different about playing in such a large...

JESSICA PEGULA: A large...

Yeah, there is a lot of noise, a lot of constant noise that you're hearing throughout. Even when it's quiet, there is a lot of buzz always kind of circulating. So I think that's something that's very different that you have to kind of get used to.

Then also just the size, the spacing, your depth perception on the court. It feels very different when you're looking up. It is such a wide-open kind of space when you're tossing the ball, depending on if the roof is closed or open.

It's definitely a little bit getting used to. I'm much more used to it now than I used to be. But, yeah, I think the size alone, you have to get used to that.

Q. What goes through your mind when you hear that in the last 11 years, 10 different women have won the US Open singles title?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I don't know why that is, because it's, like, we have so many hard court tournaments. I don't know why.

But I think going in, everyone is always excited that they have a chance to win. I don't think it takes a super kind of specialist in this. Like grass, you see people that are really good on grass or really good on clay. Here it seems like statistically you don't really have that as much.

I think it just makes it much more open. I think you know that if you can play well and find ways to win, you can go deep here and anything can happen. I think that almost makes the field even tougher, because it's just harder almost in a way to be super consistent, like you're kind of saying there is different winners every year.

I think that and how people handle the crowd and handle the energy. I think we have seen a lot of those stories over the years on the men's and women's side where the crowd gets behind somebody, or like Medvedev when he flipped the crowd that one year. There are so many storylines I think of the crowd kind of taking people and carrying them through in whatever way you kind of embrace them.

I don't think you get that at the other slams, so I think maybe that's also a factor.

Q. It's strange talking to you a third time and it's only Friday.

JESSICA PEGULA: I know, right?

Q. Couple weeks ago you put a picture of yourself on a golf course.

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah.

Q. I think earlier in the year in Madrid, you said you hadn't played all year.

JESSICA PEGULA: I didn't. That was like the first time.

Q. How often do you get to play? Do you have friends on tour you play with? What do you like about the game?

JESSICA PEGULA: I don't really have any girls that I play with. I don't think many of them play, like, that much. Seems like the guys definitely play a lot, a handful of them. I haven't played at all literally till that picture.

Last year I had such a bad round and I was, like, I need to stop playing. I had a meltdown and I was like, This isn't helping me.

Golf I think is one of those sports, as we all know, where you hit one good shot, one bad shot, that's golf. You feel like the greatest player in the world for one hole and then you're horrible the next.

But I have always enjoyed. I have played it a little bit when I was younger, so I always kind of could pick it up if I wanted to go play. I wasn't horrible at it. I could play with whoever.

I think I just the challenge of it. I think it is relaxing, but it's also mentally a challenge. I like to kind of problem-solve and think through it and try to be smart with how I'm playing.

I feel like it kind of sharpens me a little bit mentally. I finally was like, Okay, I'll play for the first time. I actually played pretty well, considering I hadn't played all year.

So I think I just needed a little mental break.

Q. Your partner, Jack, he switched kit manufacturers and is wearing a new kit for this tournament. How much of that sort of thing do you care about? Last year I think you maybe changed outfit maybe halfway through the tournament.

JESSICA PEGULA: Oh, last year, yeah, I had the long sleeve. They wanted me to wear that for night match. I wore it for the night match and I switched back to the shorter sleeve.

Adidas always does a good job of trying to do something different every single year, especially at the Open, because it's New York and I think it's more fun to try things and be bold.

So, you know, being able to wear the Y-3 was really cool. We kind of know ahead of time a little bit what it looks like, but being able to kind of debut it, I know they have done a lot of stuff. I did a little thing on the subway with them as well, which was really fun, kind of tying into more my personality and stuff like that. So that was really cool.

Vuori, yeah, they have definitely made a push obviously signing Jack to get into the tennis space. I mean, it looks like pretty good, I think. I don't know. He said he liked it, so...

I know a lot of people were kind of talking about it, obviously because he used to be Nike. I think when you see, yeah, a top player kind of make a big change with maybe a brand that's not totally engraved into tennis, it's always a lot to talk about.

Yeah, I think it's cool when things kind of change and people make new partnerships and sponsors. It seems to work. Especially announcing it here at New York, I felt like a lot of people were talking about it.

Q. Does it make a difference with performance or more just about look and feel a bit?

JESSICA PEGULA: I mean, both. I feel like some fans or whatever, they kind of get on players, like, that want to be bold with their outfits. But it's kind of part of it. Like, you're entertaining at the end of the day and you want to look good and feel good and showcase your personality.

Of course, you still want to win, but at the same time, trying to do something fun with an outfit isn't really going to change the outcome of the match that much.

So I like it. I think it's fun. I think it's a way for athletes to kind of showcase their personality. For me, I definitely like being comfortable though, especially I feel like here in New York it can get kind of humid and hot and stuff like that.

But I think nowadays companies do such a great job with kind of enhancing all of the fabrics and the sweat-proof kind of stuff. Sometimes things look a little bit like they wouldn't be comfortable, but they're actually not so bad because you wouldn't probably be wearing them if it wasn't.

But yeah, adidas does a good job with that and taking our feedback as well.

Q. Year after year, our sport goes from one site to another all around the world for months and months. There are so many aspects to the game: competition, travel, self-growth. What gives you the most joy from this sport?

JESSICA PEGULA: Oh, wow. That's a deep question. What gives me the most joy?

I mean, the sport is so hard and I think at times it's super challenging and you can have so many ups and downs within a span of a week or a tournament or a month or a year or whatever it is.

But I think I love the individual aspect of it. So I feel like when you do hit that stride of when you're winning and you're problem-solving and finding ways to win or dig yourself out of matches or winning tournaments or whatever that is, the feeling that you get from kind of doing it on your own I think is kind of unmatched to maybe some other sports. Even though I love playing doubles or team sports or team formats and different things that I played, it's just different.

It makes it so challenging and so hard when you're out there by yourself. But I think at the end of the day competing and kind of backing yourself, because there is no other option, has always been to me, like, the pinnacle of kind of why I play.

I think also being able to do that out in front of a stadium, it's hard, like, you have to be pretty fearless to go out there and accept that one of you guys are going to fail in front of the world by yourself on a court.

So I think that's something that makes it really tough, but at the same time, when you come out on the other end of those matches, it makes it really rewarding.

Q. Watching players practice, it's always amusing when the hour is up and the other player comes on court but the player on court is still not ready to finish and maybe it pushes them into the other player's hour. Is that awkward at all?

JESSICA PEGULA: I feel like usually people are pretty respectful. But it's always awkward because there is a minute or two or maybe the time's kind of hit, and the other player on court maybe doesn't know or whatever.

I always kind of like to put the pressure on a little bit, because I feel like there are maybe some players that maybe aren't paying attention or don't know and they kind of, like, linger. Sometimes when it's tough to get courts, you're like, Okay, it's my time. You need to get off.

But in my experience I have never really had too many awkward encounters. Some girls or guys even are pretty chill. Like, No, take your time, I'm still waiting for someone. You want to hit one more? Maybe you ended on a bad shot. They are like, Go ahead, hit one more good one before you end.

It is kind of funny, because you walk out and stand around. All right, your time's up. Nah, I don't know.

Q. You're and you are kind of like...

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, you go up and stand there and bouncing the ball. Like, Okay, somebody get off (smiling).

Q. How many times did you watch back that final with your squad, your ball club?

JESSICA PEGULA: Oh, zero.

Q. You have never looked at that thing?

JESSICA PEGULA: I saw some highlights, but I never rewatched the match, no.

Q. Is that what you always do?

JESSICA PEGULA: I look at points or, like, different matches, but I'll never rewatch a whole match. I think my coaches for sure have. But to me, I kind of, I know, like...

I'm very hyper-aware of everything, so I know exactly what the momentum swings were, what the decisions were on certain points and why I did them and why I didn't or what I made a mistake on or what I did well so clearly that I don't really feel the need, unless it's something that I really don't remember and they want to show me something.

But other than that, I don't watch.

Q. You do remember the match?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah. Yeah.

Q. If there was one thing you could change about tennis on the tour level, Grand Slam, anything, what would you personally want to change?

JESSICA PEGULA: That's a good question.

I have no idea. There is, like, so many things. I mean, I don't really get bothered by crowd or fan movement and stuff like that. I think they've kind of tried to change some of that already, maybe making it more fan-engaged, like, throughout the match.

Do they do at slams now where you don't have to wait for a changeover? Did they change it?

Q. No.

JESSICA PEGULA: Oh, they didn't?

Yeah, I think you should be able to probably... I hate when you're standing outside and it's two really long games and you have to wait for a changeover and you miss... I think that should change.

I don't really get bothered by fans having to come in and out, if there's a lot going on. I know some players are, like, nobody can move in the whole stadium. I'm not like that, so I would like to see that change because I think from a fan perspective to have to wait and miss, like, a huge part of the match, that's not fun for a fan.

Yeah, I think maybe that should change.

Q. Joking about golf, but on the men's side some of the top players played a lot of different sports growing up. What age did you fully focus on tennis? Did you play any other sports growing up that you feel helped with your development?

JESSICA PEGULA: Oh, yeah. I played a lot of softball, baseball. I took some golf lessons. I played soccer and tennis, all pretty young. I'm talking 7, 8, 9, 10.

I kind of just was only playing tennis probably by the time I was 11 really, because I started doing a lot of tournaments, started playing tournaments. On the weekends, it was kind of like you'd have to play your soccer games, you baseball games or play tennis.

So tennis was what I was doing the most, and that's just kind of what I stuck with, but I loved playing other sports like that. I think that's why my hand/eyes are really good. I think I picked up a lot of really good skills from a young age, because I always played a lot of sports. I'm always a big proponent of I think you should play as many as possible.

Q. Did you wish you'd waited a little longer to fully focus on tennis, or do you think that put you behind a little bit?

JESSICA PEGULA: No, I think I probably could have. I think I probably could have gone a few more years and I don't think it would have had a huge impact. Looking at my career, I didn't really do as well until later.

Now it's so different. I mean, these girls are, like, 13 and they're already, like, signed with people to become the next big thing. I don't know. It's different, but where I was growing up and where I was, I feel like I could have maybe played other sports for maybe a year or two more, but I think the time you're 12, 13, you have to kind of commit to playing tournaments and getting rankings and stuff like that.

Q. The US Open is starting to make some updates and renovations to the site the next two years. Have you noticed anything? Coming from Cincinnati where there were so many changes, I'm curious if you're excited about those updates or if you're nostalgic for certain things?

JESSICA PEGULA: No, I think it's definitely needed. I think the US Open is outgrown a little bit. It's so busy. It's packed. This week and next week, the first week, there's just so many people.

Yeah, I have heard about the updates. Some of the different stuff they're trying to do I know won't be ready for a few more years, but I think it's definitely needed. I think they need some space, which is hard to get out here, but I saw the new building that they're building, and I think it's just time, you know.

I don't know if I'd miss what we have now that much. I think there is nostalgia too. I think it's time for renovations. They're working on it now. Hopefully it's really nice, the pictures look really nice.