Jessica Pegula opens up on exhaustion during hardcourt swing: “I was at a burning-out point”

Jessica Pegula plans to reduce her tournament load in the upcoming season after several hectic years on both the singles and doubles tours. From 2021 to date, she has played 251 singles matches (176-75), averaging over 60 singles matches per year, with only short off-season breaks.

In 2024, Pegula competed in 55 singles matches (39-16) and another 25 doubles matches (15-10), resulting in significant wear and tear for the 31-year-old American. Pegula hopes to take things more slowly this year and focus on fewer doubles commitments.

A few months ago, Pegula enjoyed her best weeks of the season during the American hardcourt swing, where she won the Canadian Open title and then reached the finals at the Cincinnati Open and US Open (both losses to Aryna Sabalenka). This stretch provided an important boost during the second half of the year when it seemed she might start losing ground in the rankings. “The stress and everything, and the chaos of those three weeks,” Pegula said. “It’s kind of funny, but you feel it instantly coming back to the city.”

“It’s exhausting,” Pegula added about the summer hardcourt tournaments. “Not just the playing, but just the commute, the day-in, the day-out, the press, like the days are so long.” However, she recalled that after her victory in Toronto, she told herself she wanted to perform well in Cincinnati.

“I remember in Cincinnati people were like, ‘Oh, you know, it’s okay. You just won Toronto. Like you’ve just gotten here in a day. We don’t expect you to do that well,’” Pegula said. “But I kind of challenged myself. I knew that it would help me in the future at a Slam. And that ended up happening. I mean, who knows?”

The world No. 7 dealt with a rib injury this year, which kept her out of the European clay swing for over two months, missing tournaments like the Madrid Open, Rome Open, and Roland Garros. “I haven’t had that long of a break since Covid,” Pegula said. “I’ve played so much over the last three, four years that it all caught up with me. I was at a burning-out point and I think in a way getting hurt was probably the best thing for me.”

Pegula aims to reduce her commitments in 2025 after recording 123 matches in 2023 (77 singles and 46 doubles). The American will need to manage competing against mostly younger rivals, who Pegula perceives as more athletically prepared than players in previous years. “I feel like the movement, there’s just so many good athletes playing now,” she said. “I’m like, oh my God. Even five years ago sliding wasn’t that common. Now it’s like everyone is doing it, everyone moves well.”