All for mom 💜 @JPegula discusses her mothers sudden cardiac arrest and how she dealt with the trauma on and off the court. Watch Part 2 of The Real Me with @modernhealthco now ➡️youtu.be/r_6Q_ccHKQ0?si…
Jessica Pegula has opened up on dealing with the trauma of her mother's cardiac arrest and how the personal event related to her tennis career.
World No. 3 Pegula featured on the WTA series The Real Me, and part two of her episode has just been released on YouTube. The video covers how she coped with her mother's sudden cardiac arrest in June 2022, and how this low in her personal life collided with her being a top-10-ranked tennis player.
The series is done in partnership with Modern Health, a company that describes itself as offering 'global, personalized mental health care designed to help you feel more resilient, productive, and empowered — both at work and at home.'
In the episode, Pegula recalled finding out about her mother's cardiac arrest.
"My sister actually called me like in the middle of the night and you know, you kind of just know it's like not going to be a good phone call because it's just something doesn't sit right," she said.
The 29-year-old went on to explain that it was the first time she had experienced such a low in her personal life during her career.
"Probably the first real like, I think personal, like more traumatic side of an event that I've had to deal with during my career that wasn't tennis related, as far as injuries. I think it was more difficult off the court and for me going home than it was actually playing tournaments and competing because for me that was like an escape where like I didn't have to deal with anything," she continued.
The American No. 1 then went on to talk about how she felt guilty about being away from her mother in order to attend tennis tournaments.
"You know, I was Top Ten at the time, hitting a career high, but as soon as I went home, it was like having to make sure, you know, I made time to go see her and do all these things. And then you feel guilty because you're on the road and you can't see her. And so it just kind of like turned into this vicious kind of cycle," she explained.
Thankfully, Pegula stated last month that her mother is doing better now.
"She's much more aware of what's going on and in a much better place," she said.
All for mom 💜 @JPegula discusses her mothers sudden cardiac arrest and how she dealt with the trauma on and off the court. Watch Part 2 of The Real Me with @modernhealthco now ➡️youtu.be/r_6Q_ccHKQ0?si…