"You almost want to avoid making her angry": Jessica Pegula goes against Mouratoglou's point of view on Sabalenka controlling emotion

Jessica Pegula has completely 360'd on the approach given by Patrick Mouratoglou who previously compared Sabalenka and Rybakina to McEnroe and Borg albeit that while Sabalenka is like McEnroe. But that she can't control her temper and emotions during matches.

Sabalenka lost out to Rybakina in the final against the US Open and decided to swear at the camera and smash her racquet. Mouratoglou earmarks the major difference that McEnroe plays better angry, while when Sabalenka gets angry she loses her tennis.

This is a stark contrast with McEnroe, who was always able to regain his focus after an outburst or an argument with the chair umpire. “What fascinates me is that this final featured the two best players in the world, with completely opposite personalities. One is fire, the other is ice. I don’t think I need to tell you which is which. It reminds me of the rivalry between McEnroe and Borg. Bjorn was always in control and never said a word. John broke racquets and got angry. But there is one major difference: McEnroe played much better when he was angry. When Aryna gets angry, she loses her tennis," said Mouratoglou after the US Open.

Jessica Pegula though knows Aryna Sabalenka well and has a completely different viewpoint on the situation that in reality she gets scared playing Sabalenka when she is angry as she knows she is going to get a better version.

Pegula said that in reality, she uses it well to her advantage to guide her game and that every player has something different that helps guide their game to that next level.

“Aryna plays incredibly well when she’s angry. I can’t do that, for example. When I get angry, I start hitting the ball too hard and become even more frustrated. It doesn’t work for me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player perform so well while visibly furious,” she said on The Player’s Box podcast.

“Someone might hit a couple of winners, but then they wouldn’t be able to maintain that level. Not many players can do it, but she can. It’s difficult to do that and sustain it throughout an entire match. She is a very emotional player, but that is precisely how she manages to play well. She is good at letting her emotions guide her game.

“We are all different, and we have to understand what works for us. She certainly cannot hold her emotions back, but in her case, it works. In fact, you almost want to avoid making her angry. I can’t even imagine her playing tennis normally — she wouldn’t be the same player.”