Andy Roddick Downplays Carlos Alcaraz’s Setback to Gush Over Jessica Pegula’s Resurgence Ahead of Wimbledon

The upcoming Wimbledon Championships are shaping up nicely. In what is a brief grass-court season, players are sweating it out to get ready for the Grand Slam event in style. Ask Jessica Pegula, who couldn’t have asked for a better warm-up than she had last week. On the other hand, it was contrasting fortunes for Carlos Alcaraz, who will step on the court next week to defend his Wimbledon crown. Amid these contrasting turn of events, American legend, Andy Roddick, highlighted the importance of his compatriot’s victory.

With an eye on defending his Wimbledon title, Alcaraz didn’t have an ideal warm-up at Queen’s Club as he bowed out of the tournament in the pre-quarterfinals. Despite this setback, Alcaraz is more ready than ever to play at Wimbledon. Roddick highlighted this point on his podcast while hailing Pegula’s victory in Berlin.

Roddick said, “He (Alcaraz) knows how to play on this surface, he’s the defending Wimbledon champion…If he wins Queen’s, fantastic, even better. That tournament is not nearly as important to him as it is to Jess Pegula, who knows she can play well on this surface, she knows the same things we do, but she needs to create that confidence. Confidence is king, confidence is queen. She needed the tournament more than someone like Alcaraz.”

At the Berlin Grass Court Championships, Pegula got the better of Anna Kalinskaya in a thrilling summit clash to clinch the title. On her way, she also defeated Coco Gauff, her doubles partner. Along with her singles commitments, Pegula is also looking to play in doubles at Wimbledon.

Doubles game crucial to the success of Jessica Pegula

After the Wimbledon Championships, players will head to Paris for the Olympic Games. Pegula is eyeing a medal there, as she and Coco Gauff are a force to reckon with on the doubles tour. Additionally, playing doubles has also helped Pegula improve her singles game.

She once mentioned, “I love playing doubles. I think it’s helped me a lot in my game, working on a lot of intangibles, playing pressure points, a lot of serve return practice, working on your feel around the court, your lobs, strategizing, reading what the opponents are doing or the other team is doing. I really enjoy playing.”

Pegula is having a packed schedule of late as she’s also playing in the Eastbourne International. However, she is engrossed in a thrilling battle with Emma Raducanu in the pre-quarterfinals there. Their match is currently tied at one set apiece, with both players giving their all to win the encounter.