Jessica Pegula happy to carve out a name for herself: "Nice to see people noticing for what I'm good at"
WTA
Jessica Pegula is happy that people are starting to recognize her for being a good tennis player rather than just for her wealthy background.
Pegula's father is a billionaire who owns the Buffalo Bills of the NFL and the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL. As such, his daughter could be provided with anything needed for her tennis development.
2022 has been the best season of Jessica's career. She and Iga Swiatek are the only players to reach three Grand Slam quarterfinals, although the 28-year-old lost all three.
Pegula generated headlines after losing to Swiatek in the US Open quarterfinal when she drank a can of Heineken beer at the press conference. She explained that it was to pee for a doping test and to ease the pain of losing.
The American's results this season were good enough for her to qualify for the ATP Finals in singles and doubles, but some fans dismiss those achievements because she comes from a wealthy background.
However, others are starting to recognize Pegula as one of the most improved players on the WTA Tour. That makes her happy since she has dealt with being dismissed because of her rich father for many years.
"Yeah, it's definitely something I've always had to deal with I guess. Especially as I was coming up, I was doing better, people kind of knew my name. Always I think important that it's nice that I was able to make a name for myself in this sport."
"I think I did that already. But I think just solidifying it by how well I've been doing the last year definitely gives me a lot of confidence. It's nice to see people noticing for what I'm good at and not other things. It's special. I'm glad that people are starting to say that."
Pegula's excellent season should be given the respect it deserves, regardless of how wealthy her family is.
