Tennis star protects Jessica Pegula amidst trolling over her billionaire family

Heartbreaking loss
Bouchard support
Remarkable career and life path
Born in Buffalo
Daughter of multi-billionaires
$6.8B net worth
Half-Korean
Turning pro
Grand Slam singles debut
First WTA final
Steady rise up the rankings
First singles title
Good start to 2020
Next step in her career
Australian Open quarter-finals
Top 20
Confirming in 2022
World No. 3
Family concerns
United Cup winner
Good results
Difficult start to 2024
Split with David Witt
This season
Taylor Gahagen
Restaurent business
Skincare products
Grand Slam success?
Heartbreaking loss

After her heartbreaking loss to Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets in the US Open final, conversations about Jessica Pegula's family wealth haven't ceased.

Bouchard support

According to the NY Post, Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard offered her support to Pegula and praised her work ethic despite coming from a billionaire family.

"Down-to-earth and fun person"

"I don't get why Jessica Pegula gets hated because she is 'the daughter of' and comes from a wealthy family. She seems like a down-to-earth and fun person and worked her a** off to climb in the rankings. Just like EVERY PLAYER."

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Remarkable career and life path

Pegula is one of the current stars of women's tennis. The American has worked her way to the top and has an extraordinary backstory. Read on to find out all about Pegula's life, on and off the court.

Born in Buffalo

Pegula was born in Buffalo, New York, on 24 February 1994, according to WTA tennis.

Daughter of multi-billionaires

Pegula is the daughter of Terry and Kim Pegula, owners of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, as per Sportskeeda. Her father, Terry, made his fortune in natural gas development and real estate, among other businesses.

$6.8B net worth

Terry Pegula's net worth is estimated at $6.8 billion by Forbes, which is why his daughter Jessica is often considered "the richest tennis player" in the world.

"It is what it is"

Pegula doesn't mind being called that way. "yes, I mean, it is what it is... It doesn't really bother me. It would be nice if people didn't say that. But do I really care? I mean, not really. It is what is. But, yes... I don't really think it matters how much money you have," she said at a Wimbledon press conference.

Half-Korean

Pegula is half-Korean, as her mother was born in Seoul and adopted by an American couple at a young age. According to The Sun, she has four siblings: Kelly, Matthew, Michael and Laura.

Turning pro

Pegula turned pro in 2009, but would make her Grand Slam debut in 2011, when she received a wildcard into the doubles tournaments at the US Open. She reached the third round, her first major result on the biggest stage.

Grand Slam singles debut

It would take Pegula until 2015 to make her Grand Slam singles debut, WTA Tennis recalls, when she reached the main draw of the US Open and was eliminated in the second round.

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First WTA final

In 2018, she reached her first WTA singles final in Quebec, where she lost to Pauline Parmentier, per WTA Tennis.

Steady rise up the rankings

She would then continue to steadily make her way up the ranking, entering the top 100 for the first time in 2019 and making her debut at the French Open and Wimbledon.

First singles title

That same year, she lifted her first WTA singles trophy, beating Italy's Camila Giorgi in the Washington Open final, according to WTA Tennis.

Good start to 2020

Pegula then enjoyed a good start to 2020, reaching the final in Auckland and making her debut at the Australian Open.

Next step in her career

At the 2020 US Open, Pegula took the next step in her singles career, reaching the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time. It would be the start of her journey to the top of women's tennis.

Australian Open quarter-finals

In 2021, she reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, her best Grand Slam result at the time, which earned her a place in the top 50.

Top 20

After that, she continued to perform well and ended the year world No. 18, according to stats by WTA Tennis.

Confirming in 2022

From that point on, Pegula never looked back and took the tennis world by storm. She reached three Grand Slam quarter-finals in 2022 and won her first WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara, Mexico, per WTA Tennis. In doubles, she even made it into the French Open final, which she lost alongside Coco Gauff.

World No. 3

She also featured in the WTA Finals in 2022 and ended the year world No. 3 in singles and world No. 6 in doubles, according to the rankings history of WTA Tennis.

Family concerns

That same year, however, Pegula and her family was rocked when her mother was hospitalized after suffering a cardiac arrest, The Sun reports.

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United Cup winner

In late 2022 and early 2023, she helped the United States win the inaugural version of the United Cup, beating world No. 1 Iga Świątek along the way.

Good results

This gave Pegula the confidence she needed for the 2023 season, in which he reached two Grand Slam quarter-finals, won the Montreal tournament and topped the world ranking in doubles, per WTA Tennis.

Difficult start to 2024

It's been a difficult start to the 2024 season for Pegula, however, as she was knocked out in the second round of the Australian Open by France's Clara Burel, according to WTA Tennis.

Split with David Witt

Shortly afterwards, she took a radical decision and decided to end her partnership with coach David Witt, with whom she began working in 2019, per Tennis(dot)com.

"Never saw it coming"

Witt wasn't expecting it. "It was a total surprise to me. Never saw it coming," he told the same medium.

This season

Pegula has had a solid 2024, recently winning the Grass Court Championship in Berlin and the Canadian Open. She also reached the second round of Wimbledon and the final of the Cincinnati Masters before reaching her maiden Grand Slam final in New York.

Taylor Gahagen

Away from the tennis court, Pegula married Taylor Gahagen in 2021.

Restaurent business

In 2016, she tried her luck in the restaurant business together with her sister Kelly, opening a quick-serve Healthy Scratch restaurant, local medium Buffalo Rising reported at the time. She then opened more locations, but stopped the adventure in May 2022 permanently.

Skincare products

Pegula is also in the skincare business, having launched her own line of products, Ready 24, per WTA Tennis.

"I had troubled skin"

"When I was growing up, for the most part, I had troubled skin," Pegula told the same medium. "I tried a million different things and didn't always give it the time to work. Your skin freaks out because there's too much going on."

"Always interested in trying to figure out what helped"

"So I was always interested in trying to figure out what helped and what worked. Like a lot of people, I was always looking for the quick fix," she added.

Grand Slam success?

Pegula has already built an excellent tennis career, but she will surely continue to strive for Grand Slam successes in the coming years. Will she make her dream come true?

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