Billionaire tennis heiress Jessica Pegula has been overheard making candid remarks about her 19-year-old rival Mirra Andreeva.
The 32-year-old American was recorded describing Andreeva as a “diva” who “needs to be humbled” by a microphone she did not know was capturing her conversation during practice.
Pegula also said she had “lost respect” for Spanish great Conchita Martínez, who now coaches Andreeva, the French Open champion this year.
Andreeva has developed a reputation for her fiery on-court temperament. At Wimbledon this year, she smashed rackets, argued with the umpire and her team, declared “I quit,” and walked off in tears after losing to Barbora Krejcikova in the second round.
Pegula, whose father is £8.9billion oil and gas tycoon Terry Pegula, was caught by a hot microphone while preparing for the WTA Finals in Indian Wells.
“Conchita has always been very nice to me, but I’ve lost a little bit of respect for her,” she began.
Jessica Pegula (left) was caught on a hot mic describing Mirra Andreeva as a “diva” who “needs to be humbled”
Andreeva, 19, is known for explosive outbursts on court, including smashing her rackets
Pegula is an heiress to a billionaire family but has worked hard to reach her position (Instagram: @jpegula)
“I think she’s a nice girl, she’s just a diva. She needs to be humbled. You have to put her in her place.
“Do it, stand up to her. If I were a coach and my player had just won four great games to lead 4-0, then got angry at me for throwing balls, first of all, that’s so disrespectful. You’re up 4-0, like, shut the f*** up.
“But she can’t. Conchita pokes her and encourages that behaviour. She has a perfect serve, she’s smart and anticipates well.
“If she had Coco’s mentality, she’d be better — serve, everything, all around. Mentally she’s just…”
Pegula then moved her finger in a circle beside her temple, appearing to suggest that she considered Andreeva to be crazy.
The two players have yet to meet in a competitive match, although they could face each other at this tournament. Andreeva won the French Open this year, while Pegula is still chasing a first Grand Slam title after reaching the US Open final in 2024.
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Pegula has faced criticism over her “diva” comments, particularly given her privileged family background.
Her father made his fortune in oil and gas after founding East Resources in 1983 with a $7,500 (£5,565) loan. He sold most of the company’s assets in 2010 for almost $5billion (£3.710billion).
Pegula, left, with her family after her parents Terry and Kim bought the Buffalo Bills in 2014
Andreeva regularly makes her frustrations known to the umpire, her team and the crowd
Terry and his wife, Kim, now invest in sports teams. They own the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and, in 2014, defeated groups led by Donald Trump and Bon Jovi to purchase the NFL’s Buffalo Bills for $1.4bn (£1.038bn).
However, Pegula told Daily Mail Sport a couple of summers ago: “It’s funny when people assume that I fly private everywhere or have had a chauffeur driving me around since I was five. I grew up pretty normally, and much of that [her family’s wealth] didn’t happen for me until I was older and already playing.
“My goal since I was six or seven was to be No 1 in the world. I was just a normal kid growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, taking lessons after school.”
That has not prevented Pegula, 32, from facing claims that she “needs [a] dynamic that family billions can’t buy” to win a Grand Slam.
There is some basis for her assessment of Andreeva’s volatile on-court personality. The Wimbledon episode was not an isolated incident.
At last year’s French Open, Andreeva lost her composure during a defeat by world No 361 Lois Boisson. She hit a ball into the crowd, prompting boos and earning a warning.
At Indian Wells in March this year, she threw and smashed her racket after losing to Katerina Siniakova, then exchanged heated words with members of the crowd.
“I feel like it’s not the best way to handle yourself, but once in a while it really helps to get mad at yourself and get it done,” she has said.
Andreeva has also identified Serena Williams as someone she could learn from: “I think the one person who handled losses very well was Serena Williams. I’ve never heard or seen her upset.
“Even when she was losing Grand Slam finals, she would always smile and be happy for her opponent, who had won the match and received the trophy. So maybe that’s something I can try to learn as well, and we’ll see how it goes. Yeah, we’ll see.”