Many tennis players have time and again experienced online hate and abuse, including death threats, racist messages, and general criticism, often after losing or even winning a match. This abuse can significantly impact players’ mental health. Factors like the individualistic nature of the game, intense training schedules, and constant scrutiny of results add unique pressures in the sport. Some player find a way to open up on these topics, while others fail to express their real issues. But amid all these, seeing players like Naomi Osaka, Amanda Anisimova, and Bianca Andreescu opening up the mental side of the game has made American star Jessica Pegula shower words of praise for her peers.
In a previous interview, Naomi Osaka revealed, “The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.” Naomi Osaka has been very vocal about mental health issues. Later on, we even saw her withdrawing from the 2021 French Open and Wimbledon to preserve her mental health. According to Osaka, most people don’t know that mental health is as important as physical health. Hence, she’s often seen addressing these issues very seriously. In May 2023, Amanda Anisimova made a similar revelation about her struggles with mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022. Following that, she even took a break from tennis.
In the same year, Bianca Andreescu also spoke about the importance of prioritizing mental health and seeking guidance when needed. Recently, American tennis star Jessica Pegula gave an interview with Omnium Banque National. During that interview, she was asked to share her thoughts on the mental side of the game. While addressing this issue, Pegula said, “So, now all of a sudden there’s a whole other element that’s gone into being a pro athlete where you’re online all the time. So it’s changed completely. We’ve seen that with girls like Amanda Anisimova, with Naomi Osaka, with Bianca (Andreescu) that aren’t afraid to say, ‘Hey, I’m…this is too much.‘”
According to Jessica Pegula, if it wasn’t for them, kind of really speaking out about it, “I don’t know if we’d have so much changed as we’ve had, right now, but it’s amazing to see.“ In that same video clip, Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka, and Amanda Anisimova also shared their thoughts. Osaka admitted that she mostly takes news from social media and doesn’t use her account much. The Japanese star claimed that she doesn’t look at anything related to tennis.
However, Amanda Anismova stated that, “Sometimes I’ll like delete the apps entirely because I’ll have like the habit of going on and like not knowing what I’ll experience.” But having said that, she also claimed that other than the hate messages, she also gets quite a few positive messages as well. So, that’s something she tries to put more focus on these days.
Was it the first time that we’ve seen Jessica Pegula speak up on mental health issues and online hate, though? According to Pegula, mental health means just growing as a person. In September 2024, she openly discussed her mental health journey, highlighting the challenges of balancing professional tennis with personal life and the importance of self-trust and emotional regulation.
Her sole advice in this was, “I think it’s just once you kind of let all those emotions out, I think resetting is — you have to kind of just reset. I would say if that’s either on court or off the court, I mean, let yourself be sad, let yourself be upset, let yourself be emotional and all those things.” Pegula said it’s more about resetting things a bit after letting these get out.
Now, coming back to tennis, can Jessica Pegula complete the three-peat at the Canadian Open? What does she have to say about this, though?
Jessica Pegula is currently looking forward to yet another magical run
Currently ranked fourth in the world, Jessica Pegula has already won three titles this season. But having said that, the American has also failed to reach a Grand Slam or WTA 1000 final this year. She currently has a win-loss record of 35-14, and if we take a look at her performances in the majors this season, Pegula was knocked out of the AO in the third round, and then it was followed by a fourth-round exit at the French Open. However, at Wimbledon, she was defeated in the first round itself.
So, it has been a season full of ups and downs for the American. But now, she has a good chance of getting some wins under her belt before the 2025 US Open. Jessica Pegula has won the Canadian Open in each of the past two years. Last year, she defeated Amanda Anisimova by 6-3,2-6,6-1 in the final. Can she complete the three-peat this time?
“Everyone is, like, ‘Oh, three-peat, three-peat.’ That’s a long way away, but yeah, I’m hoping that I can kind of find some magic here in Canada that I’ve been able to kind of summon over the last few years. Hopefully, play some good tennis,” said Jessica Pegula. She will be facing the former world number 3, Maria Sakkari, in her first match. Pegul has a 6-5 record against the Greek. Can the American extend that gap with Sakkari, or are we going to see the Greek leveling things up in the H2H record after this match?
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