Jessica Pegula takes a dig at Australian Open over controversial incident amid players being recorded behind the scenes

Jessica Pegula was critical of the 2025 Australian Open's increased coverage of the player area. She also questioned the unavailability of the net machines at the event. The American tennis star was eliminated from the third round of the tournament last week.

Pegula reacted to New Zealand tennis player Erin Routliffe getting frustrated during the women's doubles third-round clash at Melbourne Park after being informed about the unavailability of the net machine by the chair umpire. A fan shared the video of Routliffe's disappointment on X and wrote:

"Erin Routliffe is in disbelief after the umpire informs her they don't have the machine to call service lets: 'Oh my god we have robots everywhere and we don't have them for the net?!'"

While Routliffe went on to win the match nonetheless, Jessica Pegula called out the organizers for putting cameras everywhere while not making the necessary equipment available for matches.

"We have cameras in every player area and everywhere we turn but we don’t have a net machine? 💀 😂," she wrote

Notably, the Australian Open has set up a BLUEZONE that gives fans access to backstage moments of the players, including from the gym to the warm-up areas.

Meanwhile, Pegula was also critical of the court and the balls used at the tournament after suffering defeat to World No. 55 Olga Danilovic in the third round.

---

"Conditions were so slow" - Jessica Pegula reveals reason behind her Australian Open exit

2025 Australian Open - Jessica Pegula in action in 3R (Source: Getty)

Jessica Pegula was the pre-match favorite against Olga Danilovic after securing commanding victories in the first and second rounds. She beat Maya Joint 6-3, 6-0 in the first round before downing Elise Martens 6-4, 6-2.

However, the World No. 5 was completely bamboozled by Danilovic in the third round, failing to convert any of her six break-point chances. Pegula blamed the loss on the slow surface and claimed that balls being heavy worked in favor of Serb's forehand game.

"Conditions were so slow. It was slower than a clay court, it felt like. The balls were so heavy, and that totally I think favored [Olga] for sure. "Especially with her lefty kind of whippy forehand up to my backhand, it's really tough" she said, via Tennis World USA.

The 30-year-old missed Brisbane International due to a knee injury and fell 3-6, 6-4,1-6 to Madison Keys in the finals of the Adelaide International.