Jessica Pegula is one of the leading players in women’s tennis today, ranked 4th in the world in singles and 3rd in doubles. The American star is widely tipped to succeed Serena and Venus Williams from the country to carry forward their legacy. Pegula has won a total of 9 WTA titles so far across events, making her one of the favorites in any tournament she plays.
However, Pegula recently got into hot waters in a recent interview, talking about the possibility of the Saudi Arabian government investing in the game of tennis. And here’s why her comments have got many talking.
Jessica Pegula backs Billie Jean King in Saudi Arabia investment debate
In a press conference at the Wimbledon 2023 Championships, Pegula was quoted as saying –
“I’m sure we’ll talk and go about it. If they (Saudi Arabia) could help getting us to equal prize money, though there are negatives, there’s a lot of positives that can come out of it. Hopefully something good comes out of it the right way.”
Pegula’s stance on the Saudi Arabia issue sounds very similar to the one the legendary Billie Jean King possesses. King is renowned for many decades to be the first women’s player to fight for equality in tennis when it comes to the prize money women get at WTA events as compared to men at ATP events. While significant development has taken place in this regard, perhaps Saudi Arabia’s investment might help solve the issue for good, which could make her support the idea, and the same applies to Pegula too.
While King has already faced huge backlash on her comments, Pegula isn’t far behind. This is due to the fact that Saudi Arabia is ironically notorious for suppressing women in the country, as many basic rights are denied to them by the monarchial government headed by King Salman. Secondly, even human rights in general is an issue when it comes to the Middle Eastern country, whose image has taken a beating following the untimely assassination of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi publicly questioned a majority of the policies of the government, which were not made for the welfare of the public in general.
When it comes to Pegula specifically, many users on Twitter are mocking her statements due to the fact that she is already a billionaire, even if her earnings from tennis are not taken into account.
Equal rights for the women of Saudi Arabia (and other ethnicities) existing in one of the most repressive regimes in the world, should come before equal prize money for (many) already wealthy tennis players.
— jonathanlinton (@JonnieLinton) July 3, 2023
In which a billionaire heiress thoughtfully points out that there is financial benefit to her of collaboration with a murderous regime.
— Corin (Corey) Bowen (@_Corey_B) July 3, 2023
Don’t go advocating for equality and inclusion next time JP. You can’t turn a blind eye when it suits your agenda.
— Dishing It (@DishingItTennis) July 3, 2023
Billion heiress worried about prize money is just precious 😆 🤣 😂 😹 😆 🤣 😂 😹 😆
— David Kiesler ⚖️ (@DavidKiesler) July 3, 2023
There are no positives. If my husband and I held hands we could be arrested. Why would you support a country like this?
— Gary Alford (@galfor) July 3, 2023
What is morality when weighed against increased earnings?
— Holmes Ghassemi (@Projekt29) July 3, 2023
What is the Jessica Pegula’s net worth? The American’s wealth astounds the tennis community
The Jessica Pegula net worth question is set to persist for a long period of time after this controversy. Pegula’s parents are the owners of the Buffalo franchises of the NFL and NHL respectively, taking their net worth to beyond a billion dollars. She also has two business entities of her own – One being a restaurant and the other a skincare brand in New York.
As per a report in Daily Star, she co-owns a $18 million worth superyacht named ‘Top Five II’, which can easily accommodate 12 people. Besides that, Pegula has the option of staying in a gated mansion in Florida which is priced more than $2 million. Should she quit tennis, she stands to inherit an amount which even men’s tennis players can only dream of earning in their lifetime.
Jessica Pegula’s earnings from tennis have come up $10 million approximately so far as per multiple reports. Pegula’s prize money could jump to another million easily should she fare well in the ongoing Wimbledon Championships. She survived a 3-set scare in the Round of 128, defeating fellow American, Lauren Davis on Monday.
