“Wtf happened to my body”: Jessica Pegula calls out WTA over photoshopped Dubai image

Jessica Pegula mixed humour with pointed criticism before the Dubai Duty Free Championships final, calling out the WTA for posting what she described as an obviously altered promotional image. The American, who faces Elina Svitolina in Saturday’s WTA 1000 final, reacted publicly after noticing changes to her appearance in a side-by-side graphic shared on social media.

The American is competing in the second WTA 1000 of the season, and maintained her perfect record against Amanda Anisimova on Friday, rallying 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in an all-American semi-final to reach her first Dubai final. The fourth seed has now defeated Anisimova five times in as many meetings, including a recent Australian Open quarter-final, and advances to her eighth career WTA 1000 final.

The 31-year-old has reached at least the semi-finals in each of her last seven tournaments, dating back to the 2025 US Open, underlining her consistency at the top level. Dubai marks the 21st final of her career. She will meet seventh seed Svitolina, a two-time Dubai champion in 2017 and 2018, who required nearly three hours to overcome Coco Gauff.

While her form has been steady, the focus briefly shifted to social media after the WTA posted promotional images ahead of the final. Pegula, known for her candid online presence, reacted swiftly to what she viewed as a clear editing error affecting her body shape.

The WTA shared side-by-side photos of Pegula and Svitolina to promote the championship match. Pegula responded directly on social media, questioning the changes made to her image. “Wtf happened to my body,” she wrote on social media while sharing a photo of her profile on the official WTA website.

She followed with a more detailed reaction, highlighting what she saw as unrealistic alterations. “Thank you for giving me the waist of my dreams but I think pieces of my arm are also missing (laughter emoji) not sure what happened here.”

And indeed, Pegula’s photo at first glance looks strange, something that was pointed out by an X user, who suggested the issue stemmed from an editing tool misidentifying part of her kit. Pegula’s black Adidas outfit featured a white stripe at the waist, which appeared to have been erased in the final image. “Looks like the background removal tool mistook the white stripes for the background and just wiped them out!”

Pegula’s The Players’ Box podcast co-host Jennifer Brady – a former Australian Open runner-up – also joined the exchange. “Waist of your dreams?” responded the American, while the 2025 Australian Open champion – and also a member of The Players’ Box – Madison Keys replied: “That waist is SNATCHED #nophotoshop”

Despite the online distraction, Pegula’s attention remains on securing her first Dubai title. Reflecting on her semi-final comeback against Anisimova, she admitted her expectations had shifted mid-match. “At the start of the third it was 1-all and I looked to my coach and said, ‘I’m just happy to still be here right now.’”

The American, who turns 32 on Monday, acknowledged what a title would represent at this stage of her career. “That would be an amazing birthday present. I’m not going to mention how old I’m turning. I came here with the intention thinking I could play well in these conditions and I’m giving myself a shot at winning the title tomorrow.”

In addition to her singles run, Pegula also competed in doubles alongside Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos, reaching the quarter-finals before falling in a deciding match tiebreak to Luisa Stefani and Gabriela Dabrowski. Stefani and Dabrowski will play in the final against Vera Zvonareva and Laura Siegemund. With her singles form intact and momentum on her side, Pegula enters the final as the more rested player, seeking to cap a consistent stretch with another WTA 1000 trophy.