"Don't ask me the same question": Jessica Pegula preempts potential questioning about continued Grand Slam failure

Jessica Pegula expressed frustration with a journalist who questioned her about a potential failure at the Australian Open. The American, currently ranked No. 5, has reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam five times in her last eight appearances but hasn't yet broken through to the semifinals.

Pegula kicked off her year at the Adelaide International, where she received a walkover in the semifinals before her scheduled match against Daria Kasatkina. Unfortunately, she had to withdraw due to a gastrointestinal illness just before the match. In the earlier rounds, she showed resilience by coming back from a set down twice, defeating Bernarda Pera (4-6, 6-2, 6-3) and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (6-7, 7-5, 6-4).

During the press conference after the match with Pavlyuchenkova, Pegula grew irritated with a journalist's question about her performance in Grand Slam quarterfinals: "Don't ask me the same question; you know that my intention is to go beyond the quarterfinals. My goal is always to get to the second week, winning every game without looking too far ahead. If you don't get to the second week, or if you lose in the first or third round, I don't even see it as a failure."

“Sure, you can be in a bad mood, but I've never considered it a failure not to win a Grand Slam. Tennis is tennis, you have to start again and move forward, trying to improve the following week. All players want to win a Grand Slam, it's a shame not to succeed, but many of us are used to it."

Jessica Pegula enters the Australian Open as the 5th seed and will kick off her campaign against Rebecca Marino (No. 182) from the qualifying rounds. If Pegula progresses in the tournament, she could potentially face Elena Rybakina (No. 3) in the quarterfinals, who is defending her runner-up finish from the previous year.

In the 2023 edition, Pegula was the 3rd seed and reached the quarterfinals, securing a notable victory over the former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round. However, her journey was halted by the 24th seed Victoria Azarenka, who dominated with a 6-4, 6-1 victory.