Jessica Pegula has apologised to fans after revealing that a small injury issue has been exacerbated and forced her to withdraw from the WTA Finals in Riyadh. The tennis star was due to face Iga Swiatek in the group stage today.
Winners of the round-robin matches at the tournament are paid an eye-watering £270,000. However, Pegula was forced to pull out after an injury problem “flared up”.
Pegula wrote on X: “What started as a really small issue flared over the last two matches and I just can’t continue tomorrow. I’m sorry to the fans and tournament. I really had a great week of prep and had high hopes here but it just wasn’t meant to be. Thank you for the warm welcome Riyadh.”
The 30-year-old was replaced by Daria Kasatkina, who was due to bank £174k just for being on standby. Kasatkina was given the chance to step into action but was demolished 6-1 6-0 by Swiatek.
Pegula withdrew from the tournament on Wednesday, just 24 hours before facing Swiatek. The American had lost both of her Finals matches, against Barbora Krejcikova and Coco Gauff.
“I’ve just been kind of struggling with a little bit of an injury and for whatever reason, it kind of really flared up this week. Not really sure why,” she told the WTA’s website.
“In the few days before practice it felt really, really good, but it started creeping up right before my first match and I just feel like I’m not feeling comfortable moving on court.”
Pegula’s defeats meant that she dropped out of contention to win the eight-player tournament. But she qualified for the competition due to an excellent year that saw her reach sixth in the WTA rankings.
Titles in Berlin and Toronto were the highlights of her season. Pegula was the runner-up at the US Open and the Cincinnati Masters.
Having recently withdrawn from the Billie Jean King Cup, it seems unlikely that Pegula will play again this year. She could enjoy an extended break to ensure her injury issue does not impact her start to the 2025 season.
The next opportunity for fans to see Pegula could come during preparation for the Australian Open. The first Grand Slam of the year is due to begin on January 6.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk