Pegula on post-career dream
Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Monday, March 27, 2023
MIAMI — Jessica Pegula masters the art of point building.
As her gaming days draw to a close, World #3 dreams of building something even bigger.
Read more: Jessica Pegula shares news of Kim Pegula’s mom’s recovery
Pegula, whose parents Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula are owners of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabers, said she would like to own and operate a tennis tournament after her tennis career is over.
Speaking to the media in Miami after she defeated 20th seed Magda Lynette 6-1, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, Pegula shared her plan. Since the start of 2020, Pegula has reached 12 WTA 1000 quarter-finals, more than any woman in that period.
“I would love to have it there (in Buffalo),” Pegula told reporters in Miami today. “I don’t know where, because Buffalo is not really a tennis heaven. But maybe someday. I always thought about it, even after my career, about holding a tournament.
“I think it would be a lot of fun. I don’t think my parents are really ready for this, but maybe one day I’ll have one or try to do something there.”
While winters in Buffalo may look like snowballs come to life, the city does have a tennis tradition.
Former world No. 5 Jimmy Arias is a Buffalo native who was inducted into the Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame the same year as legendary NBA star Bob McAdoo, a dedicated tennis fan and tennis parent who roamed the Miami Open stadium earlier this week.
Pegula said she hopes to one day host the tournament in West New York. Novak Djokovic’s family previously owned and operated the ATP tournament in Belgrade and we’ve seen several former stars become tournament directors after their playing days are over, including James Blake (Miami), Richard Krycek (Rotterdam), Feliciano Lopez ( Madrid) and Tommy Haas. (Indian Wells).
“I think it would be great fun to also connect with Toronto, Montreal, obviously Toronto is right there,” Pegula said. “I know we alternate with men, but this is so close. I don’t think people realize how close this is. It’s about an hour and a half drive.
“Yeah, that would be cool, because I had a lot of fans in Toronto who were either Buffalo people or connected to Buffalo just because of the proximity. So maybe one day.”
Photo courtesy of Matthew Kalvis.
