"I needed to take some chances, not that being 30 is the end": Jessica Pegula explains split from long-time coach David Witt

Jessica Pegula split from her long-time coach, David Witt after the latter anchored the top American to her main success since joining forces back in 2019. But it was more just wanting to take a chance and the what-if of trying something new that was the reasoning for Pegula.

Due to their success, Witt has not been out of work long with Maria Sakkari now appointing him as her new coach. But now Mark Merklein and Mark Knowles are now involved with the former World No.3 who has been having indifferent form to start 2024 through illness and injuries also.

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"I just felt like I needed to take some chances. Not that being 30 is the end - I think I just didn't want to look back and be like, 'Maybe I should have tried someone else, or tried something different'," she said.

"David and I had a lot of success and what we were able to accomplish together was pretty amazing but I think having started with him when I was maybe 25, and then being 30 this year, I think I'm just in a much different place – a different ranking, a different place personally and career-wise."

"I think it was just more to keep pushing myself, and I didn't want to feel too comfortable. I kind of wanted to change things up, and I think being uncomfortable makes you learn new things and pushes you in new directions and can be really helpful."

"Obviously, I'd been successful, it’s not like I'd been losing and I needed to change something. More or less, it was just me wanting to make a change and I felt like it came pretty naturally. It wasn't anything bad, it was just more me starting a little bit of a new chapter in my career."

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Melanie Lautrup

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Pegula on the reasons behind her split with her coach David Witt

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