"You don’t really get time to appreciate what you have done" - Jessica Pegula on the difficulties of life on the WTA Tour

American tennis star Jessica Pegula has left her mark on the WTA Tour, having reached a career-high ranking of World No.3 in addition to winning several big titles. Having experienced so much on tour, the 31-year old recently opened up on some aspects she finds frustrating.

The Buffalo native is the fourth seed at the 2025 Cincinnati Open, where she takes on Polish star Magda Linette in the third round. Pegula has been out of form during the North American hard court swing, having suffered early round exits at the DC Open and in Montreal.

Nonetheless, Pegula has enjoyed considerable success during her time on tour. The American is a three-time WTA 1000 titlist in singles, and two in doubles. Additionally, she reached the final of the 2023 WTA Finals and the 2024 US Open.

Despite her status as one of the top players on tour, Pegula admits to experiencing moments of stress and frustration. The former World No.3 highlighted the continuous nature of the WTA circuit, stating players have little time to enjoy their accomplishments before moving on to the next tournament.

"I don’t know if I have ever been obsessed with winning," began Pegula in an interview with The Tennis Insider Club. "It all kind of feels the same. I feel like at the end of the day, I made the finals of the US Open, great. And then I was back in Asia, and you are out there battling, and it all feels the same at the end of the day.
“I am sitting there getting annoyed and frustrated at losing, and everyone is like you just made finals of the US Open but I’m saying I am p—— I just lost in Beijing. You go back to the same thing a couple of weeks later. It’s what is so hard about tennis. You have this amazing achievement, and then you are right back."

The World No.4 would pinpoint the days after reaching her maiden US Open final as when she felt the most frustrated, due to not having enough time to really enjoy the moment.

"I was just right back in Asia, ready to lose my mind, not playing well and frustrated, and everyone was like ‘you just made the final’ and I was like I don’t care, I want to win now," said Pegula. “You move on to the next week, and that is what I think is so hard about tennis. You don’t really get time to appreciate what you have done.
“It’s not intentionally, and it’s not that I’m saying I don’t care that I made the US Open final, but it’s just that happened, and now I’m in a different situation and a different week, and I’m being told to perform now, and I’m thinking about now.
“When I am thinking about now, the US Open final doesn’t matter at this moment. I am trying to win this match, and we have moved on. The world kind of just keeps moving on, and tennis moves on at a very fast pace."