Jessica Pegula was born on February 24, 1994, in Buffalo, New York, in the United States, to multi-billionaire Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula, as one of five siblings (two of which are from her father's first marriage).
Since her family was heavily involved in sports, it was not surprising that Pegula found interest in tennis, even though her family had a stake in American football and ice hockey.
The American player has a half-Korean heritage through mother's origins in Seoul, Korea. She grew up alongside four siblings: Kelly, Matthew, Michael, and Laura.
Pegula has been one of the late bloomers on the tennis circuit, showing her qualities later on in her career. She made her debut on the WTA Tour at the 2012 Indian Wells Open, but in the early years of her career, Pegula was a player who struggled to break onto the main tour, moving between 100th and 200th place in the WTA Rankings.
Her biggest career triumphs in these years were the Guadalajara Open win and the Canadian Open triumph, and in 2022 and 2023, she was known as one of the most consistent players, finishing the 2022 season as the world no. 3.
