'Everyone keeps reminding me of the triple': Jessica Pegula embraces pressure ahead of Canadian Open title defence

Jessica Pegula arrives at the Canadian Open as one of the favorites to claim the title, where she is the two-time defending champion. The 31-year-old American is probably the player in the draw with the best results at the Canadian Open, boasting a 17-2 record, having reached the semifinals in her first two appearances and winning the title in 2023 and 2024.

With two titles in a row and in good form, Pegula will have the chance to secure her third Canadian Open title in a row, something only achieved previously by Monica Seles, who won the title four consecutive times between 1995 and 1998.

"I feel pretty good to be here, I arrived yesterday and the first day of practice was very good, I'm excited to be back. I have great memories of this place, both here and in Toronto," commented the world No. 4 upon her arrival in Montreal.

"Everyone keeps reminding me of the opportunity to achieve a triple, but that is still far away, although I hope to find some magic here in Canada. At least, something similar to what allowed me to bring out my best tennis in recent years."

Pegula aims for fresh start in Montreal

Things have changed rapidly for Pegula in the last month. She won the Bad Homburg Open title on grass-court at the end of June – defeating Iga Swiatek in the final – and arrived as one of the title contenders. However, she ended up eliminated in the first round, just three days after winning the Bad Homburg title, falling without appeal to Elisabetta Cocciaretto (2-6, 3-6), in a tournament that Swiatek herself ended up winning.

"Wimbledon didn't go as I wanted, I left disappointed, but it's not too terrible to be at home for two and a half weeks before starting this tour," she said regarding the early elimination. "Now I'm focused on a new surface, adapting to it, and spending time at home, which was the nicest part."

However, the start of the North American hardcourt swing was not the best, as she was eliminated in her debut at the DC Open against Leylah Fernandez – the eventual champion of the tournament. "In Washington, I had a tough start, a third set against Leylah, but she was playing great tennis," mentioned the 2024 US Open runner-up. "I've faced her a couple of times in the past and it was always tough. I try not to be too upset about that loss, I think it was a good match on my part considering it was the first one. Now I want to start afresh in Montreal, use what I've been working on in recent weeks, and compete hard in every round."

"Not a fan of the two-week format": Pegula weighs in on extended WTA 1000s

The Canadian Open this year joins the trend of other WTA 1000s by increasing its duration to two weeks. Amidst criticism from some players about tournaments being too long, Pegula stated she is "not a fan of the two-week format," emphasizing that she believes only Grand Slams should last two weeks. "I like the smaller tournaments, when they are fast, I feel like you can go and get it over with. Sometimes they get very long, especially before a Grand Slam, but I'm interested in them."

"This format is a bit different, it's not exactly two weeks for each tournament, it's 21 days between the two. Let's say it's a hybrid of what we saw with Madrid-Rome or Indian Wells-Miami. Honestly, I'm interested to see how it all turns out, how the players and fans feel, although I'm not a fan of the two-week format. The Slams already last two weeks, so turning every tournament into a Slam can be mentally exhausting, although I guess we'll have to get used to it."