After establishing herself as a force on the WTA tour during the 2023 season,
Jessica Pegula has experienced slumps and struggles that have forced her to reevaluate her level of play this year.
The American won five titles in 2023 and finished the year ranked in the top 5. However, she has had a difficult 2024, winning a title in Berlin but failing to emulate her stellar performance from the previous year.
Poor Grand Slam results have forced Pegula to scrutinize her inconsistency
Pegula has been subpar at Major events this season, losing in the second round at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics. The 30-year old missed the French Open due to injury, and will face some pressure on the WTA rankings as she's scheduled to defend her title from last year at the ongoing
Canadian Open.
"It’s not been the sweetest year for me after a couple of injuries and changing coaches," said the American. "The results have not come, nor have I had the consistency that I had shown in the last two to three years. I saw that I have been making semi-finals in Canada since 2021, and it was like… I don’t really think about these things, I didn’t realize – have I really been playing so well.
"At the time, you don’t think about it, but now coming from a tough season, I look back and value it much more. It’s crazy to think about the consistency I’ve had these years. I can’t believe it myself, but this 2024 is different.
"Many challenges have arisen, but at the beginning of each season, I always think things might not go perfectly – I’ve had many bad experiences at the start of my career. Now the goal is to finish the year much better than I started."