Jessica Pegula has had a tough year ravaged by injury, but when fit she has hardly inspired confidence.
After all, despite being ranked sixth in the world, her inability to take the next big step and start challenging for elite honours is really scuppering her progress as a player.
Now 30 years old, time is ticking, and it is a case of now or never as the American goes into the Canadian Open seeking to prepare for New. York at the end of the month.
She reflected on a tough year ahead of the event, weeks after Pegula told Martina Navratilova what she had been working to improve.
Jessica Pegula reflects on a tough year
Speaking in her press conference ahead of the Canadian Open, the American reflected on a really tough year for her personally, as she has contended with injuries and poor form.
However, having battled admirably to recapture some semblance of fitness, at last she has her eyes on a return to winning ways, with Toronto the perfect place to start that journey.
She spoke about how, such has been her loss of form, that she could not believe how well she has historically performed at this event.
Pegula claimed: ‘As everyone knows, it hasn’t been the smoothest year for me. I have had a couple of injuries, a coaching change, not great results to be honest. Not the consistency that I have been able to put on for the last two or three years.
‘I saw a stat that I made the semis of either Toronto or Montreal since 2021. I was like damn! Sometimes you don’t realise it but you’re like I was playing really well and in the moment you’re not thinking about that but now I have had a tougher year, and I look back I’m like I was good! I won a lot of matches. Not that I still don’t think I’m good, but the consistency week in, week out was pretty crazy.
‘I can’t believe I did any of that looking back. But it’s been a different year, it’s been full of a lot of different challenges but I knew every year is not going to be perfect. I had a lot of tough years before early on in my career and I was able to turn that around so I’m just taking this as a year which is presenting different challenges, and it hasn’t been the smoothest first eight months but I’m hopeful that coming into the hard courts for the rest of the year that I can turn that around. That’s where most my results tend to come and I like competing on the hard courts.’
Jessica Pegula will want a strong run at the Canadian Open
Having already won her opening-round match in the doubles section of the Canadian Open, dumping out the eighth seeds, already Pegula’s campaign in Toronto is off to a flying start.
But she will know the importance of this tournament, especially given she has failed to really add any significant points to her WTA ranking of late.
After all, a Round of 16 exit at Eastbourne marked a disappointing run and was followed up by a dire Wimbledon display which sums up her Grand Slam efforts this year.
These are the tournaments where she needs to step things up, having never surpassed the quarter-finals in any of the four majors, but these Masters 1000 events are another fine opportunity to retain her spot in the top ten.
This tournament in Toronto is huge for that.
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