Rick Macci highlights one Jessica Pegula quality which she 'does not get enough credit for'

Rick Macci, the ex-coach of former world number one Serena Williams, has highlighted one thing about America’s Jessica Pegula that she doesn’t get enough credit for. The 31-year-old had an impressive week recently, lifting the Charleston Open after beating fellow American Sofia Kenin in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-5.

The ex-coach of legendary tennis star Serena, Macci, praised Pegula in a post on his official account on the social media platform X — previously known as Twitter. The 70-year-old said the American tennis star does not get enough credit for her mental strength.

“She does not get enough credit for her calming skills. Her mind is the greatest strength of Jess Peg. The Charleston Clay Court MASTER was digging out of holes that seemed a DISASTER but not for the cool calm and collected Buffalo BLASTER. @JessicaPeg,” he wrote.

It was Pegula’s second title this year. She won the ATX Open in March as well after beating McCartney Kessler in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-2. Other than that, she also finished as the runner-up in the recently concluded Miami Open, where she came second-best in the match against the reigning world number one Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-2.

Talking after the match in Charleston, she stated that she was ‘lucky’ to play some good tennis. "I just realized how tired I was," said Pegula while talking to Tennis Channel as quoted by WTA’s official website. "She started to play a high level, there were a couple of games I didn't get out of, didn't break, didn't hold. It was super windy, super tough conditions. If you lost focus for a split second or stopped moving your feet for a second, it just swings so fast. It was the same way for both of us. In the second set, I just wanted to hold, I just wanted to tell myself to get momentum for the third, because coming into a third like that never feels good," she continued. "I knew I could break her, too. I honestly didn't think I was going to break her twice, but luckily, I could play some good tennis."