"Am I like Iga? Definitely not": Jessica Pegula reveals negotiation with coach on her use of sliding at Cincinnati Open

WTA
Saturday, 19 August 2023 at 00:32
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Jessica Pegula revealed that she tried to negotiate with her coach over her use of sliding on the court, as she progresses to the third round of the Cincinnati Open.
World No. 3 Pegula faced Martina Trevisan in her first match at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, after receiving a bye through the Round of 64 as one of the top-seeded players. The American defeated the Italian in three sets 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-3.
Pegula comes into the WTA 1000 event fresh off her victory at the Omnium Banque Nationale Canadian Open in Montreal last week, where she defeated Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 6-0 in the final.

Pegula reveals difference of opinion on sliding

During her post-match press conference, Pegula revealed that a few years ago she had been very enthusiastic about sliding on the hard courts, but her coach was skeptical about its effectiveness for her game.
"A couple of years ago, I was, like, I'm going to slide on hard court. My coach is, like, Oh, my God. I think we were here. He's, like, Can you not try and slide in practice before your match? I'm, like, I can do it," Pegula said, smiling.
However, although the 29-year-old said she slides 'sometimes', she admitted that she doesn't do it often, and does not have the ability to slide like world No. 1 Iga Swiatek or to use the sliding technique while chasing a drop shot.
"So I do sometimes slide. Am I like Iga? Definitely not. I don't think I slide as much into my shots, like, I can't do the running-for-the-dropshot sliding. I wish I could do that.
"If I do it, I could probably do it on a practice court, but it doesn't really come, like, instant for me to do it a match, so I just don't do it. And obviously, I'm not going to run up to the drop shot and be, like, Oh, I need to slide to look cool or whatever," she added.
Pegula will go on to face Marie Bouzkova in the Round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open.

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