Jessica Pegula was unable to take advantage of the opportunity that opened at Wimbledon this year.
Pegula was seen as one of the favourites for Wimbledon this year, and she was able to make it to the quarter-finals for just the second time at the grass court major.
Despite winning the first set of her quarter-final, Pegula was ultimately beaten by Coco Gauff.
Pegula could have regrets after Wimbledon this year, and she has now been told what she was missing during her quarter-final match against Gauff.
Steve Flink claims Jessica Pegula’s ‘optimism was missing’ against Coco Gauff
Hall of Fame tennis journalist Steve Flink gave his verdict on Pegula’s performance at Wimbledon this year on the Tennis and Bagels Podcast.
Flink admitted that he did not like the way Pegula played in the latter stages of her defeat to Gauff, claiming that her body language was quite negative, before suggesting that this was a missed opportunity for the world number three to win her maiden Grand Slam.
“Pegula did a great job to get it back to 3-3 [vs Gauff], but I didn’t like the way she played from there,” said Flink. “There was some negativity from her. Those of us who have seen her play a lot, you kind of know when she’s in the right frame of mind and I think she got a bit down on herself.
“I’m not entirely sure why, because normally I think she finds a reason to be upbeat and keep believing herself and fighting on with a sense of spirit and optimism. The optimism was missing in the third set, even after she got back to 3-3 it wasn’t quite there.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Coco, she played a great match and she served well when she had to in those last couple of sets. Her forehand improved after the first set against Jess, but much better in the last two.”
How do you rate Jessica Pegula’s chances of ever winning a Grand Slam?
Flink continued, “That was surprising to me and disappointing. Because look, we’ve seen her improve so much at the majors. She had those string of quarter-final losses, the quarter-final syndrome she couldn’t break.
“Then she did break it, then she’s in the finals of the US Open, then she’s in the semis of the US Open, losing to [Aryna] Sabalenka both times, then the very good semi at the Australian Open this year. She’s going into these majors and then we are all wondering, can she do it?
“The prevailing view was always, well the problem is going to be, can she beat Sabalenka in a latter stage major semi or final, can she beat [Elena] Rybakina in the semi or final? Now here these were gone, so I don’t know if any thoughts like this start to go through her mind, but she was potentially in a position to win this tournament.
“It was an opportunity and I don’t know whether she got ahead of herself or not, I can’t say if she didn’t or she did, but I know those thoughts crossed my mind as I watched her. I felt like Coco had a more positive frame of mind and Coco was a little distressed at the end of the first set, but she got on and competed well. In the end, she not only had the edge technically and tactically but she had it psychologically as well. She really believed.”
Jessica Pegula’s schedule for the US Open hard court swing
Pegula will turn her attention to the US Open hard court swing, which has previously helped her produce some of the best results of her career.
This year, Pegula is scheduled to play the Washington Open, the Canadian Open, the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.
| Jessica Pegula’s schedule for the US Open swing | Best previous result | Result in 2025 |
| Washington Open | Won the title (2019 & 2021) | Second Round |
| Canadian Open | Won the title (2023 & 2024) | Third Round |
| Cincinnati Open | Final (2024) | Third Round |
| US Open | Final (2024) | Semi-final |
Pegula has won titles in both Washington D.C. and Canada before, and she has also reached the finals of the Cincinnati Open and the US Open in the past.
This was not the case for Pegula last year, who only won two matches leading up to the US Open.
However, this did not appear to impact Pegula, who still reached the US Open semi-finals before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.
