US OPEN

August 20, 2025

Jessica Pegula

Jack Draper

Press Conference

SWIATEK-RUUD/Pegula-Draper

3-5, 5-3, 10-8

THE MODERATOR: Jess and Jack, thank you for joining us. If you'd each give your thoughts on the match and the competition overall.

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, I enjoyed the competition. I loved it, playing alongside Jessica. I wasn't expecting probably to have as good of a time as I did.

Honestly, I thought we played great. Tonight was a tough match. They were on good form.

But yeah, just overall a really positive experience. Loved playing with you. Hope to do it again, yeah.

JESSICA PEGULA: Same.

Q. For you, Jess, you were on the press release when they announced this back in February saying you were receptive to the idea. What do you make of it now that it's all done? Packed crowd for mixed-only.

JESSICA PEGULA: I had so much fun. I mean, obviously it helps when you're winning a few matches and you get to play a night on Ashe. I feel more sad honestly than after a singles match in a way. I feel like I kind of let him down a little bit.

But besides that, I really wanted to play another match. I had so much fun. Like, we got along really well. I was hoping we could get to the finish line there.

But I had a great time. I can't say anything else. I loved it.

Q. What did you think when you walked out to that atmosphere? Did this feel like any other match or...

JESSICA PEGULA: Like, arguably more crazy almost than a singles match. Sometimes people are still filtering in. There's a lot of matches going on throughout the day. They're switching sessions.

But, I mean, super loud, almost not quite as comparable as when I played the final here with the roof closed. It was really fun. Yeah, I don't think the atmosphere you could really beat it.

Q. (Question regarding learning about someone when you play doubles with them.)

JESSICA PEGULA: At one point he said, Oh, Buffalo, New York. So that is a start. I don't know. He pulled that one out. Then saying, Iris, Goo Goo Dolls. I was like, Oh, a Goo Goo Dolls fan? He actually sang that at one point on the changeover, which was pretty funny.

He knows where I'm from and he does like the Goo Goo Dolls.

JACK DRAPER: They did say 'Jessica Pegula from Buffalo, New York'. I knew it from that (smiling).

JESSICA PEGULA: Never mind (laughter).

JACK DRAPER: I love music anyway. So yeah, that was a fun fact. I don't know.

JESSICA PEGULA: I also, like random, I don't think I told you this. I followed you on Instagram. I realized you follow like five people or something.

JACK DRAPER: Yeah.

JESSICA PEGULA: So I don't think I'm getting that follow. But it's fine. At least he knows where I'm from from the on-court announcement (smiling).

JACK DRAPER: I didn't see it. I don't really go on it too much. I don't know.

I mean, let me clear that up, by the way. She said she let me down. Absolutely not. The first set, you completely carried me through. That set, I was poor and you were amazing, so...

JESSICA PEGULA: Thank you.

JACK DRAPER: We're a team. It was a lot of fun. We had a lot of funny things said in between the points. Yeah, it was good. Pumping each other up, as well.

JESSICA PEGULA: Did you learn anything?

JACK DRAPER: I didn't learn anything (smiling).

JESSICA PEGULA: That was his one thing (smiling).

JACK DRAPER: No, I don't know. It was just good fun. I thought, yeah, you had better volleys than me, that's for sure. Learnt that.

Q. Given the intensity of the match tonight, do you think it kind of ends the notion this is just an exhibition? Sorry, Jack.

JESSICA PEGULA: I apologize. I felt like I kind of scolded him yesterday in press, so... I'm not going to say anything.

JACK DRAPER: No, I mean, I think yesterday there was times where it felt a little bit more that way from our opponents, like a little bit more. It wasn't whereas tonight we were in the changing rooms, you're seeing Iga and Casper, they're like fully dialed in. They're fully dialed in.

JESSICA PEGULA: Locked in in warm-up.

JACK DRAPER: So yeah, kind of thinking this definitely isn't an exhibition.

JESSICA PEGULA: It was intense tonight.

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, it was intense. We both wanted to win.

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah. I mean, you can't go out there at 7:00 on Ashe knowing obviously you could play the final, and feel like you're just out there.

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, yeah.

JESSICA PEGULA: Like hit and giggle.

JACK DRAPER: The people who come to watch the mixed event and fill up the crowd, they want to see really good tennis. Yeah, it ain't an exhibition.

JESSICA PEGULA: The warm-up was so locked.

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, exactly, exactly. It was good. It was good fun.

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah.

Q. How does playing mixed doubles feel different from women's doubles or men's doubles either in terms of the strategy on court or the vibe?

JESSICA PEGULA: I, like, never hit overheads, which is great.

JACK DRAPER: What do you mean?

JESSICA PEGULA: Guys always take the overheads unless it's like right there.

JACK DRAPER: Like the one I missed over the net.

JESSICA PEGULA: You made a lot of good ones.

JACK DRAPER: Honestly, for me there wasn't much difference.

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah.

JACK DRAPER: Just the same.

JESSICA PEGULA: Just like with somebody, you're trying to strategize, win the points. A little bit strategy different maybe on my side because obviously girls don't serve as big. That's always just a little bit more strategic. It's always nice 'cause the guys serve a lot bigger, so it's always helpful.

But yeah, there's not much difference.

Q. How did it feel for you guys to come onto a full Ashe, but see all of these people super dialed in and invested in a mixed doubles match?

JACK DRAPER: I think it's just a bit of a spectacle. People love sport. People especially in New York, they love getting into it. They love just watching good points and watching people competing hard and trying to win. I think they respect that. It's like a really nice environment to be in.

I don't know. Personally, I just love competing and playing in front of a lot of people. It's such a good feeling to get the energy from the crowd.

So yeah, you feel lucky out there to be able to play in a full stadium on Ashe. I've never had a night session before. It was a new experience for me.

JESSICA PEGULA: Nice break-in.

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, good break-in. Anything to add?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I agree. I mean, I think people love to see people competing and going hard. They come because they love tennis and they want to watch.

I think the format, honestly it was really fun. I think maybe we would have been there in singles, but seeing us compete in a different way was definitely exciting. In New York people love these few weeks. It's the qualifying week now, now for the mixed being earlier... Always got tons of people.

Yeah, it was packed. It was fun. Love competing out there. I feel like the crowd feeds off of that. Even though I feel like we don't maybe show it that much, we were pretty fired up for as much as we could show it.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you both.