Wimbledon 2024: Andy Roddick’s ‘Danger’ Take On Jessica Pegula Shows the Threat She Possesses to Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff

“To be able to gut out a win like this is cool,” Jessica Pegula declared after her maiden grass-court title! After fighting off Anna Kalinskaya in the final match on Sunday in Berlin, the World No. 5 has found a new sense of confidence in her form. After all, it was her second tournament after being sidelined for almost two months owing to her rib injury. However, now begins the countdown to Wimbledon! Will she be able to continue her winning streak and grab her first grand slam, winning over top players like Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff? According to Andy Roddick, there are high hopes!

Finishing her final match 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, Jessica Pegula has once again shown her prowess on grass. Tennis Channel Live Podcast saw Steve Weissman, Andy Roddick, and Eugenie Bouchard delve into the American player’s form on grass. ESPN broadcaster Weissman noted her incredible prowess, stating that she reminded everyone why she belongs at the top. The former U.S. Open champion, Roddick, also quickly shared his opinion on the matter.

“Jessie Pegula on grass where she can control the middle of the court and her opponents came in wide in the court and expose her movement-wide. As far as ball striking goes, she puts on a clinic. Every single time gets a little bit more help on her serve here, but make no mistake, she needed a week like this…She needed this win and this is a huge signal to the rest of the field…Well deserved win for Jessica Pegula. She is a danger at Wimbledon.” stated the 41-year-old former tennis pro.

Roddick also mentioned the coaching change, wherein she replaced her long-time coach, David Witt, with Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein. He further added the “bad luck” regarding her rib injuries, which compelled her to withdraw from back-to-back clay-court tournaments, like the French Open, Italian Open, and others. However, she is now back with new vigor on the grass. Not only that, as she continues her prowess on grass, the 30-year-old can indeed serve as a great threat to her opponents at the 2024 Wimbledon. 

After all, since Montreal last year, the five-singles title winner has managed to win at least once against almost all the current top 10 WTA players! Be it Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, or Coco Gauff, Pegula has left no stone unturned when it came to defeating them last year. Although Sabalenka reached the semifinals last year, Gauff has yet to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

However, out of the four times she played in Wimbledon, Pegula reached her career-best results last year as she played till the quarterfinals of the event. It further underscores the “danger” Pegula might pose at Wimbledon this year. The stakes are higher this year. However, Jessica Pegula remains optimistic about her dreams in Wimbledon!

Jessica Pegula exudes confidence in her form ahead of Wimbledon 

After winning her first title since 2023 in Seoul, Jessica Pegula showed the world that her place at the top of tennis is well-deserved. Her on-court interview after 2 hours and 38 minutes further displayed her high spirits after the victory. She further admitted how the win helped her gain more confidence for the upcoming Wimbledon. “This is the most grass-court confidence that I’ve had probably going into Wimbledon. Hopefully, that pays off as well.”

Further adding, she said, “I played some really good tennis this week and I feel like I beat some really good girls, especially on grass…..I feel like I’ve been through a lot this week, so if I could handle this week I think at Wimbledon I should feel pretty good.” With the Olympics and Wimbledon as her next goal, Jessica Pegula is all ready to give her best and bag more titles to her name!