How Jessica Pegula beats the grind of the WTA Tour

Jessica Pegula has opened up on the struggles of being a top player on the WTA Tour.
Pegula said that being on the WTA Tour can become monotonous.
She says that she tries to counter this by getting out and enjoying the cities that she gets to visit.
“To help overcome those feelings, I try to do wander around the cities and see some of the tourist sights. I had spare time in Rome so I did a lot of things with my sister, who came over for the first time,” Pegula wrote in her BBC column.
“We went shopping, walked and toured everywhere. She wanted to see the sights.
“In Rome, we went to see the Colosseum and Pantheon and all the other key things. We walked the city a lot and headed to a few restaurants because she likes to find all the foodie spots.
“Then we went to Milan for two days to break up the trip before I came here for Paris.
“We took a train from Rome which was fun, we don’t have a lot of trains in America so it was nice to see a new city by hopping on the train for a couple of hours.
“We also did a lot of shopping in the area around the Duomo, which was really pretty.
“I’m not the kind of tourist who takes loads of photos, but I love wandering around and finding cool restaurants or cute coffee spots.
“In Italy there is lot of great coffee and here in Paris there are lots of nice bakeries.
“Wherever you are in the world, I think you have to leave the hotel and force yourself to do things. That’s so important to help keep your mind fresh.”
Pegula said that Grand Slams present a unique challenge.
“I have to configure myself differently and work out how I’m going to stay fresh for a month before a Grand Slam,” Pegula added.
“It is about learning how to adjust into a different structure.
“I think it’s a little tiring. Grand Slams are a lot, mentally and physically, and to prepare with two back-to-back, fortnight-long tournaments is hard.
“It is mentally draining. It gets like Groundhog Day after a while.
“In Rome, it didn’t help that the weather was awful. I think it rained almost every single day. Sometimes at a tournament – when it’s been a long day and the weather is bad – it is easy to get stuck in your room.
“You don’t want to leave, you just want to stick on the television and order in some food. It can get you down.”
READ MORE: Rise of Big Three good for women’s tennis, says Jessica Pegula
Latest
-
ATP Tour
Timeline of when Carlos Alcaraz could take Novak Djokovic’s No 1 ranking
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are ready to battle it out for the prized year-end world No 1 ranking.
-
Tennis News
Elena Rybakina hits out at WTA over Japan Open draw changes
Elena Rybakina misses out on first roun bye due to WTA experiment.
-
Tennis News
Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff’s US Open prize money sparks fresh equal pay debate
Novak Djokovic was paid $2,730 per minute for his record-breaking 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open earlier this month.
-
News
Maria Sakkari reveals how tearful US Open exit became an inspiration
Maria Sakkari says that the love and support she received from fans and even colleagues after her US Open exit helped inspire her.
-
Tennis Features
Six ways clay courts are superior to hard courts
Clay courts often get a bad rap with the odd player gripe repeated endlessly in the media, but the surface has a number of big upsides.
-
Tennis News
WATCH: Intense Felix Auger-Aliassime brushes off Laver Cup spat with Gael Monfils
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gael Monfils shared some heated moments after the Canadian complained to the umpire during their Laver Cup clash.
-
ATP Tour
More questions for Andy Murray to answer after another agonising defeat
Andy Murray blew an early lead as he crashed to defeat against Aslan Karatsev in the last 16.
-
Tennis News
Roger Federer reveals what he misses about tennis as Rafael Nadal surprises him
Speaking in an interview with former world No 1 Jim Courier at the Laver Cup, the 20-time Grand Slam champion reflected on how his life chan
-
US Open
Top coach spotted Coco Gauff’s potential very early on
Patrick Mouratoglou has revealed that Coco Gauff left a big impression on him during their first meeting.
-
Tennis News
British star set for rankings breakthrough after a decade on the ATP Tour
Liam Broady set to break into the top 100 of the ATP rankings for the first time.