12 months ago was a frustrating time for Jessica Pegula but now it seems to be a blessing in disguise for the American.
Pegula, who is currently ranked third in the world, missed two months of action between April and June last season due to a rib injury. During 2024, she only managed to play two events on the clay which was in Charleston and at the Paris Olympic Games which doesn’t award ranking points to players.
Now back to full fitness, Pegula is hoping to capitalize on her opportunities of gaining points at the European clay events, including the French Open. Recently she won the Charleston Open which is her first WTA title claimed on the dirt. She aims to continue her winning run this week at the Porsche Grand prix in Stuttgart where she is making her debut.
“I know the green clay is a little bit different from the red clay. At the same time, I feel like here (in Stuttgart), Charleston plays pretty fast, and here is going to play fairly fast,” Pegula told reporters.
“Madrid with the altitude always plays kind of quick. Maybe Rome not as much.
“I feel like having a good start to the clay season was important. Getting some confidence on a different surface right away is always nice, feeling like I didn’t need a week or two to kind of adjust does a lot for my confidence,” she added.
Unlike her rivals, the 31-year-old doesn’t have the added pressure of trying to defend points between now and the end of the French Open due to her 2024 injury. World No.1 Aryna has 1838 points to defend and Iga Swiatek has a massive 4195 points to protect.
“I didn’t get to play this swing last year. I’m coming in I think excited, fresh. Don’t have anything to defend. I think that’s always a good feeling, when there’s not a lot of pressure to defend points.” She said.
“I think just make the most of it, use the confidence that I’ve gained from the previous week in Charleston, all the things I’ve been working on going into the clay season, adding certain things to my game, seeing how it works out.
“I feel good. I’m just hoping I can do well and win some good matches and compete really hard.”
Pegula is the third seed in Stuttgart. Her opening match will be against either Sara Errani or Magdalena Frech.
