"Jessica Pegula, at some point, will get a little bit worn down" - Tennis journalist predicts American's decline in 2024 due to her age

Tennis journalist Gill Gross expects Jessica Pegula to experience a decline in form soon, primarily due to her age.

Pegula participated in the recent United Cup, and was part of the US team that also featured Taylor Fritz, Denis Kudla, Rajeev Ram, Alycia Parks, and Desirae Krawczyk. The US could not repeat their 2023 success this time though, as they were knocked out in the group stage.

In a recent podcast by Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross answered some fan questions about the 2024 season. At one point he was asked to make predictions about the performance of the WTA top 10 players.

While speaking about Pegula, Gross said that she might experience a decline in her game due to her age, but added that he wasn't sure if would happen this season. Gross further stated that if the American finishes the 2024 season as No. 9 on the WTA rankings, he wouldn't be surprised.

“Pegula, at some point, will get a little bit worn down. I don't know if that's this year or next year—whatever it is. It's been a remarkable couple of years for Pegula. She's 29 years old, and I do expect a decline. It could be this year; it wouldn't shock me. If Pegula finishes the year 9th in the world or something, it wouldn't shock me," Gill Gross said (42:00)

In the same interview, Gill Gross also stated that Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff have a firm grip on the WTA top four. Additionally, he noted that they have age on their side; all four players are under 25 right now.

"I think it's very undeniable that the top 4 is between Swiatek, Sabalenka, Gauff and Rybakina. It's very hard to see any one of them falling out of the top six. To me, they are very established, and they are all 25 or younger. Sabalenka is the oldest at 25. After that, I think it gets interesting,” he said (41:35)

Jessica Pegula and partner Coco Gauff won two doubles titles last season

2023 WTA Finals - Day 7

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula played doubles together for most of 2023. The season was one to remember for both Pegula and Gauff.

The two were quite successful in the singles category, with Pegula winning two titles and Coco Gauff securing four trophies, including the US Open. The duo also performed well in the doubles category, clinching two trophies together.

Pegula and Gauff secured victory at the Miami Masters as well as the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

At the Miami Masters, they defeated Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend in the final. In the Qatar final, Gauff and Pegula defeated Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok.

Currently, Pegula and Gauff hold the No. 3 position in the WTA doubles rankings.