"It wasn't even sad tears, it was almost happy" - Jessica Pegula explains why she cried before her Guadalajara final

Jessica Pegula has explained why she was in tears before competing in the 2022 Guadalajara Open final.

The American rolled past Maria Sakkari in the final of the Guadalajara Open Akron to win her first-ever WTA 1000 title. En route to the trophy, she defeated the likes of reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, Bianca Andreescu, Sloane Stephens and Victoria Azarenka.

Prgula revealed in a personal essay in The Players' Tribune that her mother Kim Pegula, co-owner and president of the Buffalo Bills NFL team and the Buffalo Sabres NHL team, suffered from a cardiac arrest in 2022, just after she returned from Roland-Garros being a top 10 player.

All of those emotions came to her head before the Guadalajara final, and she was uncontrollably crying in the locker room, but those were "happy" tears because she knew she was going to win.

"In November 2022, I was able to win my first WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara, Mexico. Before the finals, I was uncontrollably crying in the locker room. I am not a big crier, but I cried. It wasn’t even sad tears, it was almost happy, because I just had this feeling I was going to win," she said.

Jessica Pegula continued by saying that she dedicated the victory to her mother to let her know that, given everything she had gone through, she deserved to see her daughter win a trophy. The World No. 3 also thanked her family for supporting her throughout the ups and downs of her career.

"In my acceptance speech, I dedicated it to my mom. I wanted her to know that even after a terrible six months, I still fought every day because of her. If she could fight through what she was going through, I could too. She cried during my speech and trophy ceremony," she said.

"I have wanted this career since I was seven years old, before the sports teams, businesses, money, etc. My parents have helped me achieve this dream I am living. Even though we didn’t always agree, they pushed me, and I pushed back, and it got me to where I am today. My mom deserved to see me lift a trophy after what she had been through," she added.

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How did Jessica Pegula fare at Australian Open 2023?

Jessica Pegula pictured at the 2023 Australian Open - Day 9.

Jessica Pegula had a decent run at the 2023 Australian Open. She defeated Jaqueline Cristian, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Marta Kostyuk, and Barbora Krejcikova to advance to the quarterfinals for the third year in a row.

Her run, however, was cut short in the final eight when she faced two-time Melbourne Major champion Victoria Azarenka. The Belarussian outlasted the American, winning in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1.

Pegula also competed in the doubles with her compatriot Coco Gauff. The pair advanced to the semifinals but were defeated by the Japanese duo of Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama.