Jessica Pegula says it “sucks” that she has to play against fellow countrywoman Shelby Rogers in the first round of the US Open.
Rogers has announced that this will be her last US Open and that her final match at Flushing Meadows could be against a friend.
Pegula was sad that Rogers was put in a position where she feels she has to retire early, comparing the situation to Danielle Collins hanging up her racket at the end of this season.
Rogers and Pegula were on the pitch together for the first time as juniors and the latter said that this was at least a kind of circle closing.
“It sucks having to play against her,” Pegula said before the US Open.
“She kind of told me beforehand and I didn’t know if she was going to announce it or not. Then I saw that she obviously announced it this morning. I saw her this morning too. It’s crazy to me that, obviously I know she’s had a lot of injuries, but to see people my age retiring, her, Danielle, that’s sad.
“Yes, Shelby and I have known each other for a long time. We competed in Georgia, in the Southern Sectional 16-and-under tournaments, and now we are playing in the US Open. Of course, she had great results here too and was a top player.
“But it’s pretty crazy and I think it’s cool at the same time to say that we played in all these crazy regional tournaments. And yeah, to be able to end your career at the US Open and play against each other is pretty amazing when you look at it that way.
“Yeah, that sucks. I don’t like having to play Americans, especially here. Yeah, this role kind of sucks, but at the same time, at least it’s come full circle in some way or another. I hope she’s looking forward to what comes next.”
Pegula said she did not know if her great form leading up to the tournament was an indicator that she would do well in the final Grand Slam of the year.
The American No. 2 won the Canadian Open title before finishing second in Cincinnati last week.
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“I feel like it is, and then again it isn’t,” Pegula said when asked if the form provides any insight into who might emerge victorious.
“We’ve seen every week, every tournament, every Grand Slam tournament, time and time again people surprise us. Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason why someone does well and then there are some people where you see they’re on a roll or they’re playing well here or they’ve got a good draw or good pairings and they’re doing really well.
“So I don’t know if that really matters. I think sometimes it doesn’t make sense. So, yeah, I think this year it’s a bit difficult for people coming from Paris. People are maybe a bit, I don’t know, not as well prepared, also because of the changed surface.
“But I don’t know. I think once you’re here and you’ve had particularly good results or you like the hard courts or whatever, the players who play well here will find a way to do that, I think, no matter what.
“Yeah, I think it’s just, I don’t know, I guess that’s my answer.”
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