Quote of the Day: Jessica Pegula doesn’t mind being known as “the world’s richest tennis player”
But the American said she would trade all of the Pegula family’s $6.7-billion net worth to be known as a champion at Wimbledon.
WATCH: Jessica Pegula reacts to "world's richest tennis player" title | Wimbledon
With a straight-sets win over Lesia Tsurenko on Sunday, Jessica Pegula advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the first time. The victory completed a full set for Pegula, who became just the fifth American woman to reach that stage at all four majors in the past 25 years, following Venus and Serena Williams, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens.
But after the match, the only stat that British press could seem to focus on was 6.7 billion—the Pegula family’s net worth (in dollars).
The No. 4-ranked player in the world is, of course, the daughter of Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula. It’s a fact that local reporters at Wimbledon are only just now clueing into, earning her the British tabloid nickname of “the world’s richest tennis player.”
The UK’s Daily Express went a step further, and dubbed her a “Wimbledon billionaire richer than Cristiano Ronaldo,” yet another moniker that down-to-earth Pegula was quick to shrug off:
Q. …You're often dubbed the world's richest tennis player. That's a bit of a nickname you have here in Britain. How does that make you feel? Would you trade that all in to be known as the Wimbledon champion in the UK?
JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, people say that. I personally don't have that money. It's probably my dad or my parents. I don't know why that kind of stuck. I mean, I understand, though. My family obviously is pretty well-known back in America.
_Yeah, I mean, it is what it is… It doesn't really bother me. It would be nice if people didn't say that. But do I really care? I mean, not really. It is what is. But, yeah… I don't really think it matters how much money you have. __
Yeah, it would be great to win Wimbledon 'cause then I would also have a lot of money from winning Wimbledon (smiling).
I think I would trade, yes. I think that would be, yeah, probably better.
While Wimbledon’s $3 million in prize money absolutely pales in comparison to the Pegulas’ $6.7 billion, the sentiment still holds true—and it has been one of the defining themes in Jessica’s steady climb to the top of women’s tennis.
After all, with a multi-billion-dollar family safety net to fall back on, it would have been much easier to give up pursuing a pro career after a series of knee and hip injuries derailed her progress. It certainly would have been a lot more fun to jet off to Miami or Mykonos instead of grinding away at ITF events in Michigan and Alabama in search of meager ranking points.
Now ranked world No. 4 and with two WTA titles to her name, Pegula has fought hard for her place among the world’s best. The only thing missing from Pegula’s impressive resume is a Grand Slam title. But first, the American will be seeking a spot in the semifinals against Marketa Vondrousova, hoping to break her streak of five consecutive quarterfinal defeats.
“I had a spell where I couldn't win a first round. Then it became I would win my first two, then I would kind of lose in the third round. Now I've made a lot of quarters but I haven't made a semi,” she reflected.
“I think there's always those little gaps where once you break through, it feels great, feels like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders a little bit.”