"Something about arguing with the umpire brings it out. I kind of miss that" - Jessica Pegula touches on relaxed persona on court while admitting to bickering with Jack Draper

Jessica Pegula is raring to go as she looks to defend her title at the Charleston Open ahead of a busy clay swing. After wins against Yulia Putintseva and Elisabetta Cocciaretto, she is on the right track for more success. The world number five discussed her on-court and off-court persona while offering her tips on clay.

An excited Pegula was looking forward to her title defence on a surface she was very familiar with. "It’s amazing. I learned how to play tennis very close by in Hilton Head Island. I actually share a connection there with you as well," she stated on the Tennis Channel. "I lived here for a couple of years, so coming back feels special. This is kind of where I learned to play tennis—on green clay. I grew up playing on it mostly."

It was a special feeling to win last year, and the target was to do it again. "To come back as defending champion, after winning the title last year, is incredible. It was definitely one of the tournaments at the top of my list that I really wanted to win. I have a lot of friends and family here—people who saw me playing when I was seven or eight years old—so it means a lot."

A younger Pegula will be very satisfied to see what she has achieved on the court in her career, and especially what she is doing now. This year alone, she has reached an Australian Open semi-final, two WTA 1000 quarterfinals in the Sunshine swing along with the title at the Dubai Duty Free Championships. It is a ridiculous bout of form that she is experiencing which is due to years and years of perseverance and experience.

When asked if she could go back to her 15-year-old self to tell her something, she said: "I’d probably tell myself to trust my gut a bit more. When you’re younger, especially in your teenage years, you have a lot of people telling you how to act—'show more emotion,' 'be more excited,' things like that. I think I listened to that too much."

That is going against her chilled-out persona on court."That’s fine for some people, but I’ve always been pretty easygoing and relaxed. Once I accepted that and stopped trying to be what others wanted me to be, it really helped me grow—both as a person and on the court. Tennis is so individual. You can take advice, but at the end of the day, you have to go with what you think is right. I don’t really think you can make a bad decision because you’re the one in charge."

When she is fully herself on court, Pegula is adamant that it is when she is producing her best tennis. "When I was younger, I actually didn’t have a great attitude. It’s funny now because people praise me for it. But back then, I was trying so hard to be energetic and show that I cared—it felt like I was faking it," she commented.

"That drained my energy, and I didn’t like that feeling. Being super outgoing doesn’t come naturally to me—it actually tires me out. Once I stopped trying to force that and just accepted my personality, things improved. Everyone is different, but for me, being myself works best."

Off the court, she has been involved in a popular podcast called the Players' Box podcast. Along with fellow tennis players and good friends Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk. It is a chance for them to talk about the behind the scenes in the sport and offer that perspective to their fans in a more relaxed setting while discussing other topics.

"We have a whole team that helps keep us on track—otherwise we’d just ramble forever," she admitted. "We’ve got producers and editors working behind the scenes. Honestly, if we didn’t have that help, we probably wouldn’t be able to do it."

There was a viral moment that got popped up again in the interview about Taylor Fritz's messy car amid parking drama at the Miami Open. "Fritz sent me a picture of my car parked in his spot and asked if it was me," she explained. "I said yeah—I had parked there because someone was in my spot. Later I saw another car there and didn’t realize it was his. I walked past it and thought, 'Wow, this car is trashed.' I almost texted him, but decided to leave it. Sorry, Taylor—it was pretty bad!"

In both Indian Wells and the Miami Open, Pegula's tournament came crashing down against Elena Rybakina at the quarterfinal stage. Added to that, the Kazakh also got the better of her in the semi-finals of the recent Australian Open and WTA Finals enroute to winning both of them titles which has seen her climb to become the world number two and one of the most dominant forces in the sport.

"It’s tough, especially when I’ve been really close but haven’t won the last few matches," she acknowledged. "I try to see it as a challenge. Each time, it feels like I’m getting closer and closer. You have to trust your game plan—especially in big moments. Sometimes you can win more points in a match and still lose, so it’s about executing in those key situations. I’m not discouraged. I feel like I’m playing well, and she’s one of the best players right now."

Clay has never been one of Pegula's most successful surfaces. She did reach a WTA 1000 final on it back in 2022, losing to Ons Jabeur at the Madrid Open. Her first and only title on clay to date was last year in Charleston. That masked a somewhat disappointing period in the season where she went out in the third round of the Madrid and Rome Open before a fourth round exit at Roland Garros.

The 31-year-old shared her tips on clay to get the upper hand. "Probably the drop shot. When people struggle on clay, I always say—just use the drop shot more," she said. "The backhand drop shot has always been easier for me. The forehand is something I’ve been working on more—especially seeing players like Carlos Alcaraz bring it back into the game, and Aryna Sabalenka using it more too."

Movement and especially sliding is crucial on clay, and even brought into a grass court setting as well. While Pegula thought she was decent at it, she admitted that 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was much better than her. "Definitely not Novak level! I’d say maybe a six or seven. I’m solid, but not in that eight, nine, or ten range like him."

As noted before, Pegula has never been the most emotional person on court, keeping her feelings held within while others like to show their true colours. One thing she does miss is that chance to let out some steam at the umpires amid the introduction of automated line technology.

"It’s kind of the only time I show emotion," she stated. "I don’t really get mad at opponents—sometimes at myself or my team—but something about arguing with the umpire brings it out. I kind of miss that little bit of drama."

Her overall style was quite similar to Jack Draper. The pair took to the court together at the US Open mixed doubles event. While they formed a great team as they ended up reaching the semi-final stage, all was not well at times between the pair. "We actually have a similar arguing style—calm, controlled, not too loud. We definitely argued with each other a bit too. Maybe it’s because I have a younger brother—I understand that dynamic."