"I definitely will not be playing at 35": Jessica Pegula sets retirement date aided by Coco Gauff call out

Jessica Pegula has revealed she has no intention of playing professional tennis beyond the age of 35, although close friend Coco Gauff is pushing her to stick around for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Speaking on the Tennis Insider Club podcast with hosts Caroline Garcia and Borja Duran, Pegula said she now approaches her career “year to year” and is motivated by health and performance rather than a fixed timeline.

“I definitely will not be playing at 35 – definitely not,” she said. “I think that’s where I for sure have to stop. I think it would be cool maybe to try and make the Olympics because it’s in LA in a couple of years.” Garcia pointed out the Games are three years away, while Duran suggested a break could make it feel closer. Pegula agreed: “Technically it’s like two years because then you qualify. So I’ll probably have an idea by then if I’m in or not. We’ll just make it sound like two.”

But the American admits qualifying for the Olympics is far from straightforward. “For an American woman, the cut is kind of high – you have to be top 15 to make it,” she said. “I think I was talking to Coco and she was like, ‘You’d better play until LA.’ She was mad at me because I said, ‘Maybe a couple more years.’ She said, ‘If you’re going to play two more years, you might as well just play another year for the LA Olympics. You can’t retire before then.’

“This was a year ago, so I was like, ‘Four years – Coco, that’s a long time. I’m only 34, what are you talking about?’ She said, ‘You can just stay top 20 – the way you hit the ball, you’ll be fine. I’m not letting you retire before the LA Olympics, especially if you qualify.’ I was like, ‘Okay.’”

Pegula added that life decisions off the court will also play a role in her retirement date. “It’s a different talk when you want to have kids – you can’t wait that long. I definitely don’t want to have kids and then come back. When I have a kid, I’m done. I admire the women that do that, but that’s just not for me. So that’s kind of why I say maybe at least a couple more years – two, three, we’ll see.

“The LA Olympics would be a cool motivation, a cool goal, but at 35 I definitely don’t want to be playing past that. There are so many other things I want to do. Even though I appreciate the tour, I think by then I’ll have experienced enough where I’m ready to move on.”

Garcia agreed, suggesting that one day Pegula will simply wake up and know she is ready to walk away. Pegula responded: “Exactly. There’s no point worrying about it now. One day at a time – when it feels right, it will. Maybe something happens – you’re not healthy, you realise, ‘I don’t feel like doing this, I don’t feel like going through rehab or surgery,’ then maybe you change your mind.”

Turning the tables, Pegula asked Garcia’s age, and when she replied “31,” the American noted she was probably not playing much longer either. Garcia agreed, explaining she and her partner want to start a family and don’t see themselves travelling with a young child.

“I respect the players who choose to do that, but I’ve been on tour for a long time and I can’t say I’ve enjoyed all of it,” Garcia admitted. “Sometimes it’s been very tough. Now that we can travel together, it helps me balance it, but I still have moments where I struggle. If I lose too many of the good moments, or if I suffer too much on court, it’s not worth it anymore.

“Last year, the break helped me a lot. I had to fight my way through because I wanted to play the Olympics – it was very important for me – but I was struggling all year. Then when I took the break, it helped me reset, take a breath, and think about what I really wanted to do. Sometimes you have to understand maybe it’s time to turn the page and do something else. You don’t have time for everything when you’re on tour – there’s just no time.”

Pegula agreed, saying she wants to finish her career on a positive note. “You don’t want to end your tennis career with a bad taste in your mouth – miserable for the last couple of years and then saying, ‘I want nothing to do with tennis.’ That’s how I feel – I don’t want to end it hating tennis.”

Garcia added that her partner encouraged her to leave the sport on her own terms. “Last year I didn’t want to play anymore. My partner said, ‘You do whatever you want, I’m happy to stay at home – but don’t run away from the problem. Fix the problem, be peaceful on court one more time, and then leave on your own terms. Don’t leave because you had an issue.’”