Jessica Pegula credits Caitlin Clark & Nelly Korda for leading the charge in popularizing women's sports

Jessica Pegula was loud in praising WNBA star Caitlin Clark and LPGA golfer Nelly Korda for being some of the biggest women's sporting icons of this era. She credited them for bringing glory and popularising women's sports in general by putting up stellar performances in their specific sports.

Pegula is currently at the Charleston Open and has qualified for the finals of the tournament. Coming from a family that has made huge contributions to various sports, she understands the importance of equality in the sporting world and is aware of the promising future of women's sports. In the ongoing tournament, she praised many of the attendees and media personnel for donning the 'Everyone watches women's sports' t-shirt.

After her win against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semifinals in Charleston, she joined the Tennis Channel desk's post-match interview, where she was full of praises for the Indiana Fevers star and the world champion golf star for leading the change that women's sports have seen in the past few years.

“I just think we’ve had so many superstars that have come out, whether it’s in tennis or you see Caitlin Clark, or Nelly Korda- all these girls are really, really good, and they’re carrying their sports on their backs, and they have that star power that can draw fans to come and watch," the American said. (00:20 onwards)

Jessica Pegula also highlighted how she is elated to be associated with a sport that has revolutionized equality in sports through equal pay.

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Jessica Pegula hails tennis for paving the way of change for women in sports

Jessica Pegula, Billie Jean King and Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 US Open - Source: Getty

Tennis star Jessica Pegula addressed how delighted she feels to be associated with a sport like tennis that is known for equal pay for both men and women, making it one of the highest-paying sports for women.

“To be a part of a sport that has led that trend for a long time as far as being the highest-paid women’s sport in the world, I’m very proud to be a part of that sport, and I hope we just keep continuing to inspire and motivate the next generation of young girls," she said.

Led by pioneers like Billie Jean King since the 1970s, the sport has seen many female greats advocate for equality. They succeeded in 1973, with that year's US Open being the first tournament to offer equal pay. Today, all four major tournaments and most of the other tours offer equal prize, making tennis a leader in gender equality in sports.