Jessica Pegula remains on the hunt for her maiden Grand Slam title, but has still enjoyed a hugely successful career.
After all, she is a major finalist and has won plenty of other elite-level honours, even if the greatest amongst them eludes her.
The American has been a mainstay at the apex of the WTA world rankings for many years now, and that alone is a mark of her consistent quality and ability to compete with the very best.
Speaking during her ongoing Australian Open campaign, Jessica Pegula was asked about how she felt the tour has changed since she first burst onto the scene, nearly 17 years ago.
Her answer was hugely insightful, and actually offered a measured comparison between the women’s game and the men’s.
Jessica Pegula compares the ATP players to those on the WTA
She began by comparing the WTA players of old to the current generation, she began by admitting: “I think there are girls that probably hit a heavier ball now. When I started, I think it felt like more flat. I think courts were faster. Everything was just faster. You didn’t really have time to lift the ball as much.
“Then I do feel, though, there was a lot of players, like a Halep or a Wozniacki at some point, who I didn’t play that much, because I wasn’t quite ranked as high when they were kind of, like, dominating where they hit more of, like, not a lot of pace, but spinny, with certain shots. They had very good backhands where they hit hard.
Should women play best-of-five sets at Grand Slams?
“Now I feel it’s kind of like a mix a little bit where there is more of a heavier ball. I think girls seem bigger and stronger, and they hit not just like a slow, spinny ball, but they can hit that heavy one maybe more kind of like a guy where it’s a big ball, but it’s not exactly flat. It does have some rotation on it.”
She then added her inter-gender comparison, noting: “I do think maybe the conditions and just the way the game kind of changes over different years and generations a little bit, but compared to the guys, though, I feel like the girls still hit a lot flatter.”
The Battle of the Sexes did not help women’s tennis
Many argued that Nick Kyrgios’ Battle of the Sexes match vs Aryna Sabalenka was beneficial for tennis because it brought more eyes onto the sport.
However, many of those eyes were disparaging ones, particularly when the Australian, who was ranked down in the 600s, won in straight sets.
What was your opinion on the Battle of the Sexes match?
Pegula has sought to outline what she thinks the difference is between men’s and women’s tennis, but Kyrgios and Sabalenka showed their version of events in a practical and farcical event that did not help the WTA Tour’s cause.
Many will have made their minds up on the difference between the games based on this modern-day Battle of the Sexes, and that is unfair to what makes the women’s game so unique, and arguably a completely different sport to the men’s, laden with rich storylines and engaging characters.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
