Tennis
Don’t accuse Jessica Pegula of crying at the US Open.
The American pro confronted a journalist on Monday at his post-match press conference after a podcast account associated with the media member tweeted that Pegula, 29, walked off the court in tears after the her fourth round loss to fellow American Madison Keys.
Pegula, who lost 6-1, 6-3, made it clear that he was not emotional but instead wiped his eyes while leaving the court.
“Are you the ones who tweeted that I was crying when I left court?” Pegula asked, to which the journalist remained silent.
The individual in question confirmed that they were part of “The Tennis Podcast,” which distributed the tweet.
“Okay, somebody said I walked off the court crying,” Pegula said. “I never cried. I’m sure that came from you. I don’t know if what you tweeted is correct.
“I didn’t cry at all, so… It looked really sad. I said, I never cried. I only waxed in an hour. I have to play twice an hour. I was like, Okay.”
After the post-match press conference, “The Tennis Podcast” – hosted by tennis commentators David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts – issued an explanation on Twitter.
Law explained that he was the one who shared the initial tweet about Pegula being upset after his elimination from the US Open.
“Jessica Pegula and I just made it clear that she did not cry when she left the court,” Law posted on the podcast’s Twitter account.
“I was on the BBC commentary at the time, I saw him touch his eye when he left and also thought he was wiping a tear, but it was just something in his eye. Want to correct that.”
It’s a big name upset because the No. 3 Pegula was eliminated by Keys, the 2017 US Open runner-up.
While praising close friend Keys, Pegula — who is the son of Bills owners Kim and Terry Pegula — admitted she didn’t play her best tennis in the fourth-round match.
“I thought Maddie shot the lights out, I thought, served, returned, hit the ball really clean,” Pegula said. “I mean, he was painting behind the line. There’s not much I can actually do.
“I don’t think I played my best, but at the same time he never gave me a chance to get back into it. Every time I felt like there might be a window, it never happened.”
Added keys even though it is “hard” to play with friends, “everything is business” when they go to court.
Keys, who is ranked No. 17 in the world, will compete with No. 9 seed Marketa Vondrousova, the reigning Wimbledon champion, in the quarterfinals.
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