"Whatever actually I'm terrible on grass": Jessica Pegula aims to use reverse psychology to take Wimbledon pressure away

Tuesday, 30 June 2026 at 04:30

Jessica Pegula took down Darja Vidmanova 7-5, 6-3 and escaped a mid set wobble to start the opener at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships and the 32-year-old American was glad to get through adversity.

It has been as ever a great pre-Wimbledon losing in the final to Linda Noskova 4-6, 6-4, 3-6 at the Berlin Ladies Open. But she is taking a different tact.

"I think I returned pretty well. She is tall, really tall, and she has a pretty sneaky serve that's quite quick. I think I was able to read her toss and get comfortable returning early, which put a lot of pressure on her," said Pegula on Tennis Channel.

"It got a little tough there. I had to break back and then serve it out. I was kind of winning easily, and then it's grass, I missed a couple of balls, she got a couple of let cords, and the next thing I knew it was 5-5. I was happy that I had to face some adversity there, but I thought I played pretty well."

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She is now trying a new mindset after having great pre-Wimbledon form in years gone by then losing out early on at the main event in that she isn't going to demand too much on the surface anymore. "That's what everyone tells me, but I've kind of taken on this new mindset that I actually don't think I like it as much as everyone tries to tell me I should.

"The last few years I've always thought, "Yeah, I should be good on grass," but I don't necessarily love it. I made the final in Berlin, and I'm embracing that, but I'm not obsessed with it. That's all I'm trying to say. No, that's what I'm saying. I'm just like, "Whatever. Actually, I'm terrible on grass. I don't know what the problem is."

Vidmanova made it 5-5 in the first and Pegula said she needed to find that second gear as a result. "I'm happy because there's so much to gain, but at the same time, at 5-5 I was thinking, "I'm not doing this again this year. This isn't happening. I need to find a way to get through this first set and get through this match."

"There is a little bit of pressure, but like you said, it's also motivation. I wanted to redeem myself from last year. I just didn't set myself up very well then, so coming in here that was a big motivation for me, just getting through that first round."

Qualification for Grand Slams and top ranked American

She also opened up on having to qualify for Grand Slams and what that's like calling it a tournament before a tournament in reality. "I think qualifying for a Grand Slam is one of the hardest things. I was only able to do it twice at the US Open. I lost here once or twice in the final round.

"Getting through qualifying is something special. Once I became more established on tour, I honestly felt like it was almost easier in a way because in qualifying everyone wants it so badly. There's so much pressure with the money, the points, and you're just trying to get into the main draw. It's kind of all or nothing, and that makes it really hard.

"Everyone is competing so hard, and you're almost more nervous trying to get there. It gave me a lot of experience in finding my way through those situations, so when I eventually got into the main draw I almost felt mentally like, "Okay, I'm here. I've earned my right to be here. Now I can just go out and compete."

When you're in qualifying, though, it's rough. It's so tough before the tournament even starts."

Jessica Pegula in practice at Wimbledon.

She comes in as the top-ranked American this year and also amid the Serena Williams return. But she doesn't look at herself as the best. "I don't know. There are so many of us, and we're all so close. I don't ever really feel like, "Oh man, I'm the top-ranked American."

"Don't get me wrong, it's fun to hear that and it's an honour to be the No. 1-ranked American, but there are so many good American players. Women's tennis has so much depth right now that I don't know if it really changes anything for me other than it's really cool. It's actually kind of cool just to say I'm in the draw with Serena. I'll add that to the list."

She also was asked about the beauty of Wimbledon as she lauded the surface and the glamour of the All England Lawn & Tennis Club. "Oh my gosh. Just the greenery, the flowers, how pretty it is. You walk out onto the court and there's this nice clapping sound. It feels so proper and traditional. It just feels like history.

"When I come here, I feel that history and tradition so much more than at the other Grand Slams. It's probably the strongest here. It's special. It's Wimbledon. I don't really know how else to explain it unless you've been here or watched it. There's just nothing like it in tennis."

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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