Going strong at the French Open: interview with American Jessica Pegula

Jessica Pegula’s won her first three matches at the French Open and said she feels stronger than ever. She spoke candidly about the physical challenges she’s faced this season, including minor injuries and illness that disrupted her momentum, especially during Rome. Yet, despite these setbacks, Pegula, 31, feels optimistic about her form in Paris (where she recently just rode the subway). The American tennis player discussed her clay court season, and what she’s looking forward to during her stay in Paris.

The following interview answers have been condensed for length and clarity.

Veronica Bruno: How was your preparation for the French Open in Strasbourg (the WTA Strasbourg)?

Jessica Pegula: I played well. It had been a really good week of practice.

Strasburg is actually nice. It's a nice city, really kind of cool. It's on the border of Germany and France, so you get a lot of influences from Germany and the French side.

VB: You started out really strong this clay season. How do you feel like it's going?

JP: I mean, I started off great in Charleston [with the tournament win]. It's been a little bit bumpy through Madrid and Rome. I feel like I wasn’t able to get a lot of momentum there. I had a couple of nagging injuries that kind of flared up when I got to the clay, then I got sick, kind of, during Rome, and I just felt like I couldn’t quite get my feet under me to get some momentum. But the last week has been really good.

VB: How prepared have you been for France?

JP: I was able to get a really good week of training here in Europe [before French Open], and then got to play this week and play matches. So I feel as far as what I've been able to do the last couple weeks, leading into to the French, I feel like it's been good preparation.

VB: So tell me about your experience with Hyatt Paris, it sounds wonderful and beautiful.

JP: I'm the ambassador for their brand, and it's been really exciting to start this whole process. I've stayed at them already this year, but haven't stayed at this one in Paris before. I think it's going to be a really fun kind of partnership. It's a super organic, super natural way it came about. Prioritizing where I'm staying, I think, is a big thing. Not having to stay at tournament hotels all the time, not having to see players all the time, being able to kind of shut on, shut off when I need to, is a big part of it. And, you know, obviously travel is a major part of our lives, if not the main part of our lives and our careers playing on the tour traveling, 10 to 11 months out of the year, and that can be really draining. I get to stay at these amazing hotels, and kind of prioritize my recovery throughout.

VB: I understand you're doing some clinics with them as well?

JP: I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I know that they offer a lot of experiences. I think it'll be kind of cool to explore, what I can kind of do with people or other guests or other fans of the brand, and kind of make connections with them that way. I do know they have a Paris experience that you can look at online that'll be really cool.

VB: What's that like when you do give a clinic, because, obviously you're an accomplished tennis player, and you're used to playing the best?

JP: Clinics are fun. They're honestly really easy. Usually people that are doing that are really big tennis fans. So it's funny, you get a different aspect of ones that take it really seriously, and then ones that just kind of want to hit with you. It depends on the level of the player and all this stuff, but it's fun to be able to hit with them, and being able to share the court with them. It's easy work for me, not too tiring [laughs].

VB: Paris is so beautiful. Do you have any favorite spots there that you're looking forward to visiting?

JP: Honestly, I just love walking around the city. It'll be fun to kind of explore the area that I'm staying in, because I haven't stayed at this Hyatt before, so it'll be the first time. T last few years, I've always kind of stayed near the Champs-Élysées so that's always a really fun happening area, lots of shopping, lots of restaurants. I mean, the French Open is so cool because it's kind of in the city, so you really, truly feel like you're playing in Paris, which is a really cool experience. But, yeah, I feel like I need to explore Paris a little bit more this year.

VB: Do you speak any French?

JP: I took Spanish kind of through school. So my French is not very good.

VB: What's your favorite slam?

JP: I would say, probably the US Open. I just feel like I play good tennis there. I feel like I’ve been in some incredible matches there.

VB: What do you think your biggest challenge has been this year?

JP: I feel like I've already had a really good year. The depth right now is just really tough. I mean, it's not that easy to win week in and week out, so I feel like it's always kind of the same. It's just trying to stay fresh, no matter the results, whether you're winning a lot, staying fresh and wanting to keep that going, or maybe some matches haven't gone your way, and you're trying to figure out. It's just being able to kind of bounce back no matter what your results, I think, is always kind of the hardest part. And then I think just always, you know, staying healthy. I've had a couple bumps through Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome, they kind of all kind of melded into each other, but nothing major, which is good. So it's just kind of managing my health, and making sure I'm feeling good and ready to compete.

VB: What are your major goals this year?

JP: Obviously, I would love to win a Grand Slam. I would love to keep finishing the year, maybe top five. I mean, it's crazy. It's like every week, it changes so much.

VB: What are some of your takeaways from your match with Aryna Sabalinka (in Miami), when you meet her next?

JP: She's definitely proven, I think over the last year, that she really is the number one player in the world. Like, she got a lot better. You know, I feel like there's no way next time I play her, she's gonna play like that. And obviously, her level could fall, but I think she's just gotten really good at maintaining, like, a really high level of play. So yeah, there's definitely some adjustments I think I would make, but at the same time, I have to focus on my game. That means I'm going deeper in tournaments. It's always fun to try and go and beat the number one player in the world. So hopefully sometime soon, I'll get the win.

VB: How close do you think you are to maybe achieving a Grand Slam?

JP: So I think being able to manage my emotions, mentally and physically, the ups and downs that are going to come with that are really important, and then being able to kind of fight through matches and figure out ways to win. But I think I've put myself in position, so I think I could do that again.

VB: What kind of adjustments do you make for each season?

JP: I feel like I've been trying to adjust for clay the whole clay season. And we're already going to be done in a couple weeks, and I'm going to have to switch to grass. And I feel sometimes grass court season's so short that I'm like I just was getting used to it. It's always hard, but everyone's kind of in the same boat, everyone's trying to adjust every single time. Obviously, I feel like hardcourt’s the easiest for me to adjust back to because it feels more normal. You make little, slight changes in your movement, maybe your shot selection, maybe the serves that you're hitting are a little bit different. I think it's just more how you're setting up the point and changing the pace with your serve and kind of the intangibles.

VB: Do you get any time off to go and explore and in these, all these cities? I mean, they sound so fabulous, but I'm sure it takes a strain.

JP: It kind of gets monotonous and you don't have as much free time. I think fans maybe don't realize we don't have as much free time as they think, maybe you get one day or two, it depends. But I mean, other than that, you're also trying to train and get ready for the next tournament, and it can take up your whole day. So I do try and make time a little bit. I think after Rome, I had a few days where I really got to kind of explore the city a little bit more, which was really nice. Madrid as well. I kind of felt like we were staying in a really nice location. So it was just easier to kind of walk around and explore a little bit more than usual. So you know, when the location is nice to where you're staying, that always makes it easier when you can just kind of walk outside and wander around. So I try to make time. It's just not always as easy, I guess, as people kind of think it is, but we try to do something that you can enjoy from the city, sure.

Jessica Pegula won her third round match against, Marketa Vondrousova, at the French Open, and advances into the second week.