"Sometimes I’m like, ‘Can you just please stop talking to me?": Jessica Pegula admits not being the most easiest player to coach

Defending champion Jessica Pegula fought through difficult conditions and a slow start to secure a hard-earned three-set victory over Elisabetta Cocciaretto at the Charleston Open, once again showcasing her resilience on clay.

After dropping the opening set and struggling to find her rhythm early, Pegula turned the match around with a series of key adjustments—both mental and technical—that ultimately carried her into the quarterfinals.

“I felt like I didn’t really know what I was doing out there at first,” Pegula admitted to Tennis Channel. “It wasn’t great.”

The American pointed to the challenges of transitioning to clay, where matches can quickly slip away without the benefit of easy points. “On clay, if you come out slow, it can get away from you,” she said. “You don’t get a lot of quick, easy points like on a fast hard court.”

A telling statistic underlined her struggles in the first set: Pegula won just 25 percent of points behind her first serve. From there, her focus became clear—improve that number and build momentum.

“I just tried to make that stat better,” she said. “Then I started serving really well, getting into return games, and putting pressure on her serve.”

The turning point came in the deciding set, where Pegula made a subtle but impactful equipment change. Switching to a racket with looser tension helped her adapt to the increasingly cold and windy conditions, as well as the heavier, worn balls.

“I switched rackets and felt like I started to find my range a bit more,” she explained. “Then we got new balls, and I started finding my rhythm.”

From there, Pegula’s game clicked into place. Her improved serving allowed her to hold quickly and consistently, while applying scoreboard pressure on Cocciaretto. Even when faced with a tense late service game, she kept her composure.

“I was able to get out of a tough service game at the end and just hold my nerve,” she said.

Throughout the match, Pegula balanced her own instincts with input from her coaching team—though not always seamlessly. Known for her composed demeanor, she revealed that too much feedback during matches can sometimes have the opposite effect.

“Sometimes I’m like, ‘Can you just please stop talking to me?’” she said with a laugh. “Other times they’ll say something and I try it, and it actually works.”

There were moments of disagreement as well, including a late-match drop shot that didn’t go to plan. “My coach was like, ‘Stop drop-shotting,’ and then I hit a bad one when I could’ve broken her,” Pegula said. “I just looked at him like, ‘What am I doing?’ and he buried his face in his hat.”

When it comes to support from her player box, Pegula prefers a calm, measured approach rather than high-energy encouragement.

“I don’t like a lot of cheering—it can make me anxious,” she said. “I play better when I stay even and not too emotional. Maybe on a big point, a little calm, confident support is good—but not too much.”

Despite her higher ranking and recent success, Pegula acknowledged that confidence is balanced by past experience—namely a heavy defeat to Cocciaretto at Wimbledon last year.

“She crushed me at Wimbledon, so I had that in my mind,” Pegula said. “But I’ve been winning a lot of matches, so I always feel like I’m in it. I know I’ll get my chances.”

That belief proved crucial. Even after missed opportunities on break points and a chance to close out the match earlier, Pegula stayed patient and focused on maintaining her position in the contest.

“Sometimes you just have to wait for your moment,” she said. “Just keep putting yourself in the best position possible.”

Off the court, Pegula also shared a lighter moment about player life in Charleston, where a debate over meals highlighted the city’s strong culinary reputation. While Publix subs remain a popular choice among players, Pegula suggested a more local approach—at least for now.

“Charleston’s known for being a great food town,” she said. “So we decided to try some local favorites and save Publix for when we’re back in Florida.”

With another comeback win under her belt, Pegula continues to build momentum in her title defense—though she joked there’s still room for improvement. “Hopefully next time, straight sets,” she said with a smile.