Tennis row erupts after star caught trashing teen rival on hot mic
Updated . First published at
The WTA has pulled all audio from its practice court livestreams at Indian Wells after Jessica Pegula was unknowingly caught branding her teenage rival “a diva”.
A video of Pegula standing on the practice courts with her coach Mark Knowles went viral online as the pair discussed the attitude of world No.3 Mirra Andreeva.
Jessica Pegula is seen speaking with her coach at the Indian Wells. X
“She’s always been very nice to me but I’ve lost a little respect for her,” Pegula was heard telling Knowles at the baseline of the court.
“I think she is a nice girl but she is a diva. She needs to be humbled.”
The 32-year-old went on to claim Andreeva’s coach Conchita Martinez is encouraging her unpredictable behaviour, but she followed the statement by clarifying she believes the 19-year-old is a “wonderful” and “smart” athlete.
While her words of praise were recognised by the public, few were able to overlook the bold description Pegula initially delivered about her young rival.
A member of Pegula’s agency said the world No.5 was “completely unaware” there was a livestream, let alone that her conversation could be heard by the public.
The member also said Pegula had privately messaged Andreeva about the matter.
The WTA conceded it had failed to inform players there were microphones around the court for the practice livestream, issuing an apology to all those impacted.
“We sincerely apologise for failing to meet our responsibility to ensure players and coaches were properly informed,” the WTA wrote in a statement.
All streams of that practice session at Indian Wells have since been removed, but Pegula’s hot mic moment had already been shared around social media.
It has been reported the organisation only intended for the microphones to capture the sounds of rallies, not the conversations players had with coaches.
No audio will be available for any future practice livestreams at the courts.
Pegula will commence her WTA Finals campaign on Friday AEDT against Coco Gauff, while Andreeva will take on Elina Svitolina on Saturday.
