Pegula considers Sabalenka to be the world's best hard-court player, but believes in her chances in the US Open 2024 final

Jessica Pegula's press conference following her win vs. Karolina Muchova in the semifinals of the 2024 US Open.nnQuestion :nJess, if you would, your thoughts on the win.nnJessica Pegula :nYeah, that was quite the match. Obviously, happy to be here sitting, saying that I turned it around. But obviously, it was looking a little rough there for a while.nBut somehow, I found a way and was actually able to play some really good tennis and keep that momentum a lot through that third set and close it out. But yeah, I thought in the third, we had some really good tennis. End of the second and the third.nBut yeah, happy just with the way I was able to compete.nnQuestion :nI'm Darcy Wayne from eSkid.com. Congratulations. You said on the court after the match that you were kind of embarrassed after that first set.nShe made you look like a beginner out there. So how were you able to mentally regroup for that second set to come out and do what you just did?nnPegula :nI don't know. I still didn't really regroup after the first set. I went down 2-0 pretty quickly and down in that service game and was able to make that kind of really good get where she missed that volley.nAnd it seemed like that was a big momentum swing. And I was able to just hold on to my serve there and find a way. I think the crowd really helped me get some adrenaline into me.nI think I was just very, very flat. I wasn't even nervous. I was just super flat.nAnd she's really tough to play when you're flat because she's tricky. She doesn't give you a lot of rhythm. And then obviously, at the end of the first, she was playing some extremely high levels.nSo I just had no rhythm. So I don't know. I think just that game, really holding that game, I was able to just find some adrenaline, get my legs under me, just try and chase down every single ball that I could.nAnd then after that, once I had some rhythm and started feeling more comfortable, I was able to maybe play a little bit more aggressive, try and come in a little bit more, attack the serve. Dictate with my forehand a little bit and kind of find my game after that. But I think it was really just holding that game in the second.nnQuestion :nDavid Cain, Tennis.com. I have to imagine yesterday probably felt like a big emotional release to finally get over that hurdle. I'm curious if that contributed to maybe why you felt flat to start the match and what was it like resetting after last night to prepare for today?nnPegula :nYeah, it was weird. I feel like before the match with Iga, I was way more nervous. And today I was kind of just like, whatever.nBut I don't know, maybe that was bad because I clearly like came out super flat. I was trying to think that maybe it was good that I felt really loose, but clearly I was a little too loose. So I don't really know if that if what happened.nI don't know. Every day again, you feel different. Some days you come out, you feel great.nSome days you come out and you are super flat. And I think you just have to deal with it. But, you know, I'm sure playing back to back matches to playing back to back nights maybe could have contributed as well.nBut I don't really know. I guess we'll never really know. But I think I think that's the challenge of playing at a slam.nIt's just every day you feel you wake up different. Everything can be different. So it's how you adapt to that situation.nAnd I think obviously I was able to adapt just in the nick of time tonight. But yeah, I think that's just what happens sometimes. Really.nnQuestion :nWhen you have faced Aryna before, what has been the key to the matches for you? And what are your thoughts about playing her now for the championship, given all that she represents with her game on hard courts?nnPegula :nYeah, well, obviously she's, you know, a really great hardcourt player, if not one of the best in the world. But I think that I'm also a really good hardcourt player. And I'll you know, Cincinnati, she served unbelievable.nAnd I felt like I still had chances in that match. So hopefully she doesn't serve that good Saturday. Maybe a little bit less would be nice.nBut I think I know that I can have a game that can possibly frustrated her, frustrate her. I feel like in the past, I just have to be aggressive. I have to get her moving, serve smart and, you know, try and put some pressure on her return or on her serve and play my game, which is kind of what I do already.nI try to do those things and, you know, play within myself, pick my spots. You know, I want to say like aggressive, but, you know, not overdo it. I don't know just how I kind of play.nAnd hopefully I'm able to execute that. And if there's something in the match that maybe is working or not working, then I can figure those things out. But, you know, I'm just going to kind of try and play my game Saturday.nnQuestion :nPeter, just Peter Spangiorgio, New York Daily News. How meaningful is it for you to be going to the final?nnPegula :nYeah, I mean, it's amazing. I it's a childhood dream. It's what I wanted when I was a kid.nIt's a lot of work, a lot of hard work put in, and it's just you couldn't even imagine how much goes into it. So it would mean the world to me, obviously. I mean, I'm just happy to be in a final, but obviously I come here to want to win the title.nSo, you know, if you would have told me at the beginning of the year, I'd be in the finals of the U.S. Open, I would have like laughed so hard because that just was where my head was, was not thinking that I would be here. So to be able to overcome all those challenges and say that I get a chance at the title Saturday is what we play for as players. And let alone being able to do that, you know, in my home country here at my, you know, home slam.nI mean, it's just it's perfect, really.nnQuestion :nAva Wallace, The Washington Post. Well played, Jess. Kind of going off of that, we spoke to you so much earlier in your career about kind of your persistence and overcoming the early injuries that you had and kind of being really patient before you got these big wins.nJust making the final, even though you're obviously trying to win this thing. Is that rewarding in any way?nnPegula :nOh, yeah. I mean, it's always rewarding to. I mean, you play for two weeks and you just want to get to that match knowing that you have a chance to win a slam.nAnd that's I mean, that's what we play for. So it's still very rewarding, even though I know, you know, the job isn't finished. But yeah, I mean, all the years of hard work going into it, being, like you said, super resilient through a lot of different things is, yeah, I guess what I've been known for.nSo I guess it's nice to see that it's paid off at least the last two weeks. And like you said, of course, I still want to win the tournament. But I think being able to break through so many different challenges and barriers, you know, the last couple of weeks or even the last month, really, for me personally, is a massive win to me.nnQuestion :nCongratulations, Virgil. We had a talk at the Greenbrier WPT 2020. At the time, you told me what this is.nnPegula :nWhat a time.nnQuestion :nRight?nnPegula :nWhat a time. Right.nnQuestion :nThat was a lot of fun.nnPegula :nYeah.nnQuestion :nYou told me at the time this was one of your dreams, as you just mentioned. But how do you explain the improvement, the level of play and confidence that you have in such a short time?nnIntervenant 1nYeah. How do I?nnQuestion :nEspecially now being one step away.nnPegula :nYeah, it's crazy. I think one is I got a lot fitter. I got a lot better at moving, at knowing how to play my game.nAnd I think all those and staying healthy. And I think all that stuff kind of accumulated into me becoming a lot more confident in matches. I feel like my mental toughness just got so much better once you start winning a lot of matches.nAnd you have this belief in yourself that you can win in tough moments and you can beat these girls and all this stuff. And, you know, that's. I mean, that just gives you a lot of confidence going into these weeks and that I've been able to kind of build off of that and learning through different experiences, winning tournaments and all that stuff kind of just adds up and you just you can always improve.nYou can always get better. I think I've always had a really good open mind of always wanting to get things better. I'm very open to trying different things, to changing things and not anything crazy.nBut to just opening up a different perspective on how to get certain things better and not being afraid of trying those things, whether it's a movement thing, it's a shot, it's there's a lot of things I think I'm always working on. And I'm not afraid to also kind of try that in matches as well. And I think when you do that stuff and you try them and you're working on things and you're able to use them in tournaments that you get confident and you're like, wow, I can really get better.nI can improve and I can hit these shots in big moments. And that just kind of builds and it can build really quickly. I mean, I think we saw that with Emma Navarro, who's drastically improved.nI mean, an insane amount in the last year. And now she's just found the belief that she can play at this level and it can happen quickly. So I think it's nice.nI hope I can be an inspiration to other players that maybe feel like they're stuck or they're not getting better, that you can you can always find a way to get better and improve.nnQuestion :nI just Howard Fendrich with the Associated Press. A few minutes ago, you talked about dreaming of this as a kid. Were there moments where along the way you thought, you know, it's just not going to happen for me?nnPegula :nOh, I think I don't know if I thought it's not going to happen, but there's definitely moments where either like I didn't want to play tennis. I didn't really know if I wanted to do it anymore. I mean, you definitely hit those types of low moments.nI've definitely had several of those, but I think in the end, I always would kind of snap back and be like, OK, like, what am I talking about? You know, I would always kind of just flip the script a little bit. And I've always been good at doing that.nAnd I think that's why I've always been able to come back from different challenges even better than before. But, you know, I honestly I've always felt like. Not that it was never going to happen.nAnd I almost think the opposite. I always felt like, you know what, you'll figure it out eventually. And that's kind of something I've always told myself.nI'm like, oh, I'll figure it out like one of these times. And I think that's kind of just maybe my quiet kind of confidence to myself that I feel like I always have.nnQuestion :nHey Jess, congrats. Charlie, from The Athletic. Obviously, it'll be your first major final.nHave you thought about, you know, reaching out to people who've been in that position and asking them for tips? Or are you just going to kind of see how it goes?nnPegula :nYeah, not really. I haven't gotten that far. We'll see who texts me tonight and tomorrow.nMaybe if there's a good name that pops up, I can pick their brain a little bit. But it was actually cool. I James Blake came out because my coach, one of my coaches used to work with him a lot.nAnd so he actually came out to my practice for a long time before the tournament started. And it was nice kind of talking to him because I was a little nervous going in to play Shelby, you know, knowing that she might be retiring and all that. And he was giving me some advice.nBut other than that, I haven't really spoken to many people. I don't know if I feel like it, like I said, if someone texts me that I feel like talking to, but I might just kind of wing it.nnQuestion :nCongrats, Jess. Tim O'Shea, Buffalo News. What do you, the final push to win this thing, what do you do the next couple of days, tomorrow in particular?nPreparation wise, mentally?nnPegula :nYeah, I mean, definitely get home, get some sleep, get some rest. I'll probably just try and practice super light around the same time that I'll play the final Saturday just to kind of get my biological clock on the right time frame and probably just be pretty light, I think. But it depends on how I'm feeling in the morning, but obviously not going to overdo it and try and get ready for Saturday.nBut just kind of rest and a little active recovery. I don't know. I'll see if my trainer wants me to kind of do anything tomorrow, but just make sure the body and everything is feeling good.