Wimbledon 2024: Jessica Pegula’s Dominance Over Coco Gauff Prompts Andy Roddick to Get Real About Her ‘Threat’

Grand Slams: The ultimate prize in tennis, a dream that keeps legends chasing! For Jessica Pegula, this dream is closer than ever. The American tennis star’s recent stellar performance on grass courts has fueled her confidence and caught the attention of fans and experts alike. Now, former American tennis great Andy Roddick has joined the chorus, expressing his strong belief in Pegula’s potential to seize Grand Slam glory. But with a catch!

Speaking on the June 25th episode of Served with Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion extended his support to the grass-court star Jessica Pegula. Discussing her win at the Berlin Open, Roddick explained the importance of the title for Pegula. “This is a big title. Beating Coco, beating Kalinskaya who was frankly on one this week, like just crushing the ball, um, saving four match points that final. This was the exact type of week that Jess Pegula needed to get through to feel like she was a part of the tour again.” This praise for Pegula is not surprising given her latest feat on grass. 

Jessica Pegula has been on a dominant run on grass recently. The American tennis player demonstrated exceptional skills at the eco-trans Ladies Open and clinched the title after defeating Anna Kalinskaya, 6–7, 6–4, 7–6 in the finals. This was Pegula’s fifth career title and first since winning the Korea Open in 2023. In Berlin this year, she had also defeated in-form Coco Gauff in the semi-finals in straight sets 7-5, 7(7)-6(2). Her latest feat made Roddick declare her as a title contender in Wimbledon. 

Chatting further in the podcast, Roddick said, “I hope that she feels great going into Wimbledon. I feel she can, a real threat on this surface.” While he highlighted the challenges Pegula faced at the beginning of the year, especially in terms of splitting with her long-time coach David Witt, he lauded her for the resilience she has demonstrated over the season. Meanwhile, the American star is currently trying to better her game on grass.

‘I kind of just want…’ Jessica Pegula Opens up on her desire on the green surface

Jessica Pegula sustained enough difficulties at the beginning of the year. A neck injury forced Pegula to withdraw from February’s Middle East swing. This was followed by a change of coaching and an early second-round exit at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships. However, she demonstrated resilience to clinch a title at the Berlin Open and her determination to do better is growing. 

Speaking ahead of her match at Eastbourne, she opened up on her desire to do better on grass. “The more I can get in on the grass is better, as long as I’m feeling healthy and feeling good, which I am,” Pegula said. Continuing further she revealed the efforts that she put into her title. “Even though I won last week, it was obviously a lot of tennis pushed into a couple days with the delays and stuff. 

Pegula further revealed that she looks to up her confidence ahead of Wimbledon and the advantage she wants to gain before the tournament. “So to me, I kind of just want to hopefully, maybe take advantage of this week going into a Slam.” As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see if the tennis star can actually prove Andy Roddick correct and be a ‘threat’ at the grand stage.