Jessica Pegula celebrates turning 30 with birthday cake ahead of return to action at San Diego Open

World No. 5 Jessica Pegula received a surprise birthday cake at the San Diego Open after turning 30. The American tennis player will be the top seed in the tournament and the main local hope for the event held between February 24 - March 3, 2024.

Pegula has been off the courts since her second-round exit at the Australian Open in mid-January against Clara Burel (6-4, 6-2). Following the defeat, she withdrew from the doubles draw, where she was set to partner with Coco Gauff and was the top-seeded pair.

wThe American couldn't participate in the Middle East swing due to a neck injury and is looking forward to her comeback at the WTA 500 San Diego Open, aiming to gain match rhythm just a week before the start of Indian Wells.

The tournament organization surprised Jessica Pegula with a birthday cake on February 24, the day she turned 30, amid her preparations for San Diego, where she will debut on Wednesday, February 28.

"Happy Birthday Jessica," they wrote in their story.

Pegula lost a good amount of points by not participating in Doha or Dubai, as she was defending the final and semifinal, respectively.

World No. 5 has had the best years of her career by establishing herself as a top-10 tennis player, even within the top-5 in the last year. However, the American has yet to make a breakthrough in a Grand Slam and has not surpassed the quarterfinals.

Recently, Pegula decided to part ways with her longtime coach, David Witt, after a 5-year partnership. While Witt did not expect the separation, he respected the decision and highlighted the good work that Pegula is doing:

"The hard work she put in and we put in, that was something to remember. Seeing your player succeed is the best feeling in the world," he said.

"She’s obviously knocking on the door [of winning a major]. Our goals were to win a Grand Slam. Obviously, that was cut short, didn’t get to accomplish that, but I think everything else has been awesome," Witt added in the interview.