A busy summer didn't prove as busy for Jessica Pegula, who missed the start of it due to injury, but now she's back and ready to go.
The American last played in the Billie Jean King Cup for the United States ahead of what was supposed to be her 2024 clay season. It was meant to start in Stuttgart, with Madrid and Rome following; however, it never started at all because she injured herself during preparation.
There was a rib issue which plagued her for a while, after which she was advised to rest up to avoid a stress fracture. Pegula headed the advice and even went overboard with it because she really wanted to play it safe.
This summer is huge with the Olympics, and the American didn't want to do anything to jeopardize participation at the most prestigious event for all athletes.
"The treatment for both of them is the same. So let's take the safe route, treat it like a stress fracture. It's just such a crazy year with the Olympics squeezed in."
"With my game, I'd rather be ready for grass and the rest of the hard-court season and grind out the rest of the year, than try and push it for clay and it doesn't feel well. That's why we played it safe."
It was a smart decision by Pegula, who could nurse herself back to full health ahead of the grass season. Her return in Den Bosch was amazing as she won easily in two sets in her first match, showing no signs of rust despite being out of tennis for about two months.
She wanted to play at Roland Garros and was practicing as if she would play, but ultimately, it was a little bit too soon. It annoyed her because she wanted to compete with the best, as watching from the stands gets old quickly, especially when all of her rivals were closing up on her in the WTA Rankings.
"I know in the long term I can play at a high level and I know I don't need to play those matches to feel like a top player, but at the same time when you see all those people going ahead of you, you do freak out a little bit. I still have major anxiety that I've missed so many WTA 1000s this year and I have a great record at 1000s."
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