Jessica Pegula delivers ‘unfortunate’ update
Jessica Pegula’s return to WTA Tour action has been delayed again as she has suffered an injury setback.
Having missed this week’s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart due to poor scheduling, the world No 5 was expected to return to action at next week’s Madrid Open.
However, she confirmed on social media that she “got hurt” and won’t compete at the WTA 1000 event in the Spanish capital.
“Hi guys not a great update but I got hurt this past week before Madrid and Unfortunately not ready to play. Thankful for some extra time at home and hope to be back ASAP,” the American wrote on an Instagram Story.
Pegula has not competed on the WTA since losing in the semi-final of the Charleston Open at the beginning of April, but she did represent the United States during the 4-0 win over Belgium in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying round in Orlando, Florida.
She then opted to skip the WTA 500 event in Stuttgart “because the turnaround is just too tough” after competing in Orlando adding that she felt rushing to Europe wasn’t “worth it” as she opted to practice at home.
However, her comeback plans have been derailed with no indication of how serious the injury is or a possible return date.
READ MORE: Jessica Pegula opens up on her split from coach David Witt
Pegula is in danger of slipping down the rankings as she will drop 215 points next week as she reached the quarter-final of the Madrid Open last year and the likes of Maria Sakkari, Marketa Vondrousova and Zheng Qinwen are all ready to pounce.
The next big event on the WTA Tour is the Italian Open, which gets underway on May 6, before players head to Paris for the French Open.
The good news for the 30-year-old is she only has 35 points to defend in Rome as she lost in the second round last year while she will only drop 130 points at Roland Garros after exiting in the third round in 2023.
Pegula, though, might feel a little undercooked on clay ahead of the clay-court Grand Slam as she played only four matches on the surface this year.
The American has a 14-6 win-loss record so far in 2024 with her best performances coming at the Miami Open, San Diego Open and Charleston where she reached the semi-final with those results coming following her split from her long-term coach David Witt in February.
