Jessica Pegula explains last-minute withdrawal from WTA Finals: “I just feel like I’m not comfortable moving on the court”

Jessica Pegula explained the reasons behind her withdrawal from the WTA Finals before facing Iga Swiatek. The American decided not to play her final Round Robin match after being eliminated, despite a prize of £270,000 (US $291,000).

The world No. 6 apologized to fans after suffering a minor injury that worsened during her participation in Riyadh. Pegula explained on social media that she didn’t feel fit to play the last match of the group stage.

“What started as a really small issue flared up over the last two matches, and I just can’t continue tomorrow. I’m sorry to the fans and tournament. I really had a great week of preparation and had high hopes here, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Thank you for the warm welcome, Riyadh.”

After her withdrawal from the tournament, Pegula was replaced by Daria Kasatkina, who received £174,000 (US $187,000) as an alternate and took to the court to face Iga Swiatek. However, the Russian had a tough showing, losing 1-6, 0-6 to the world No. 2, who was seeking her qualification.

Pegula, who lost her two matches against Barbora Krejcikova and Coco Gauff, was eliminated early from the tournament. She acknowledged on the WTA website that she has been dealing with an injury. “I’ve just been kind of struggling with a little bit of an injury and for whatever reason, it kind of really flared up this week. Not really sure why.”

“In the few days before practice, it felt really, really good, but it started creeping up right before my first match, and I just feel like I’m not comfortable moving on the court,” added the 2024 US Open runner-up.