By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday March 26, 2024
After an adjustment period, and a few months of poor results, Jessica Pegula is already starting to feel like herself again. The former World No.3, who made the decision to part with longtime coach David Witt after this year’s Australian Open, is starting to get her feet underneath her at the Miami Open and with her new coaching tandem.
For the moment, she is working with a duo coaching tandem of former doubles stalwart Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein, a former ATP No. 160 who also previously coached alongside Bryan Shelton (father of Ben Shelton) at the University of Florida.
The American says the change suits her well.
“I like the change. I like kind of experiencing something different, talking to different people hearing what they have to say,” she said during a pre-tournament press conference in Miami. “It’s been a little bit different, but I’ve been really enjoying it.”
“I like that It’s kind of an open kind of collaborative type of thing. I like that there’s multiple people trying to problem solve, multiple people that could maybe want the same thing, but maybe one of them says it a little bit differently and I – for whatever reason – respond to that better.
Pegula has won three matches in a row in Miami and will face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Pegula will bid to become the first woman to reach three consecutive Miami semifinals since Serena Williams.
She feels that she is ready for the challenge.
“This week I’m already happier. I feel back to myself, I’m competing, I have a good attitude, I don’t look like I’m miserable on the court. I’m in good shape and I’m playing well,” Pegula said, according to Courtney Nguyen of the WTA. “I just needed a reset. It’s been a crazy couple of years.”
Jessica Pegula speaks on her recent coaching change and adjustment to the new team ⤵️#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/lgqvFeXlIJ
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) March 23, 2024
A New Perspective, A New Challenge, A New Pegula
Pegula says that her decision has brought about positive change in her approach to tennis. These days, she is hunting for ways to improve and feeding her passion for the sport, and for growth. It wasn’t true last year, she says.
“I think it’s been nice. I like having that kind of mindset of problem solving… It’s been nice to kind of not feel like you’re stuck with just one person all the time,” she said.
Pegula says she feels more…
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