“It’s my time, you need to get off” – Jessica Pegula reveals how she is forced to break character for own benefit ahead of US Open

August 22, 2025

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Jessica Pegula revealed her tactic of “putting pressure” on players practicing to leave the court when it is her hour to take over. Pegula is currently gearing up to face Egyptian player Mayar Sherif in the opening round in Flushing Meadows on August 25, 2025.

Pegula has been going through a difficult spell on the court, suffering heartbreaking first-round losses at Wimbledon and the Washington Open, and exiting in the second round in both Montreal and Cincinnati. The New York-born player is especially excited for the US Open and will be determined to perform in front of her home crowd.

Pegula, who narrowly missed out on winning the US Open in 2024 to the World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, has talked about the scenario of practice courts ahead of the main event. When asked about how she views a player taking more than their allotted time and pushing into the next player’s hour, Pegula said during a press conference that she doesn’t entertain any delay when it is her time to take the court.

"I always kind of like to put the pressure on a little bit, because I feel like there are maybe some players that maybe aren't paying attention or don't know and they kind of, like, linger. Sometimes when it's tough to get courts, you're like, Okay, it's my time. You need to get off."

The 31-year-old also added that she hasn't had a bad encounter yet, saying:

"But in my experience, I have never really had too many awkward encounters. Some girls or guys even are pretty chill. Like, No, take your time, I'm still waiting for someone. You want to hit one more? Maybe you ended on a bad shot. They are like, Go ahead, hit one more good one before you end."

Jessica Pegula partnered with Jack Draper at the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship but they fell to Casper Ruud and Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.

Jessica Pegula admitted to not playing 'great' tennis after Montreal loss

Pegula at the Cincinnati Open 2025 - Day 4 - (Source: Getty)

Jessica Pegula hasn't been able to mirror her 2024 US Open form in 2025, failing to make a big impact at most events. Following her Montreal Open loss, she opened up about her on-court struggles. She said (via Tennisnow):

"It hasn’t been great, to be honest. I don’t really feel like I’m playing great tennis. At times I am, but I feel very up and down, kind of sloppy, which I don’t like. It really bothers me. I’m kind of a perfectionist, so I don’t like having to say that."

“I feel like I’ve gone through phases in my career, a few tournaments, where I feel like that sometimes, and you have to figure out how to get out of it and not feel sorry for yourself or make excuses. I’ve got to figure it out.”

Jessica Pegula will hope to make her mark once again at the US Open, having made the final last year.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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