Jessica Pegula has announced that she will not follow the trend of elite tennis stars playing into their 40s, with Coco Gauff just about convincing her to carry on until the 2028 Olympics
Billionaire tennis star Jessica Pegula has revealed she is looking to retire within the next “two or three years”. Pegula, dubbed the world’s richest tennis player, has won nine singles titles on the WTA Tour and is currently ranked No. 4 in the world.
But despite being just 31 years old, the American insists she won’t follow the Williams sisters’ example by playing into her forties. The 2024 US Open finalist has set a deadline for her time on the court by stating she will not play professional tennis at the age of 35.
Pegula has endured a tough and inconsistent season but has still won three titles, making her the oldest player currently inside the top 10. But she still has one specific tournament in mind – the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles – which she hopes could be her swan song.
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She recently told Caroline Garcia on the Tennis Insider Club: “I don’t [have plans to follow the Williams sisters’ example], I would definitely not be playing at 35, definitely not.
“I think that’s where I for sure have to stop. I think at 31? Yeah, I think it would be cool maybe like to try and make the Olympics, because it’s in LA in a couple years.
“Three years, that’s a long time, though. I’m counting technically like two years, because then you qualify, so I’ll probably have an idea by then if I’m in or not. So we’ll make it sound like two, it’s three.”
Given that she is the daughter of businessman Terry Pegula and stands to inherit some of his £5.6billion fortune, it is unlikely that she will continue playing out of any financial incentive. Terry, ranked as the 418th wealthiest person by Forbes, amassed his wealth through his ventures in the oil and gas industry.
The billionaire also owns sporting giants Buffalo Bills (NFL) and Buffalo Sabres (NHL). Among the family’s extravagant possessions are a £58million superyacht named Top Five II and a private jet, which Jessica also uses.
Meanwhile, in terms of Pegula’s own wealth she’s earned on the tennis caught, she has amassed almost £14m from her playing career.
Pegula’s decision to play until the next Olympics was thanks to her former doubles partner and compatriot Coco Gauff. Having reached No. 1 in the doubles rankings together and represented America at last year’s Paris Olympics, 21-year-old Gauff is insistent that the pair have to play together in LA.
Pegula explained: “I was talking to Coco, and she was like, ‘You can play until LA.’ She was mad at me because I was like, yeah, maybe a couple more years.
“She’s like, ‘If you’re going to play two more years, you might as well just play another year for the LA Olympics.’ And she’s like, ‘You can’t retire before then.’ This was the year before so it was four years. I was like, ‘Coco, it’s a long time, I’m going to be 34, what are you talking about?’
“She’s like, ‘You can just stay top 20. The way you hit the ball, you’ll be fine.’ She’s like, ‘I’m not letting you retire before the LA Olympics, especially if I qualify.’ I was like, ‘Okay. You’re young, it’s okay, you won’t even be 25 yet, you still can’t rent a car!’”
Pegula went on to reveal that she will not return to professional tennis when she decides to have children. Since winning Bad Homburg, Pegula has gone only 2-4 in her last six matches.
She was dumped out of the opening round at Wimbledon in July and suffered a disappointing defeat in the third round of the Cincinnati Open. But she’ll be hoping to turn things around at her home Grand Slam tournament, the US Open, where she finished runner-up last year.