World’s richest tennis star shows true colours with classy gesture to rival players
Jessica Pegula’s fellow tennis players showed their gratitude to the super-rich star after she gifted her peers a private jet ride from Texas to California.
The American comes from a wealthy family which boasts a multi-billion fortune and owns multiple sports teams including the Buffalo Bills. Her tennis achievements stand alone, though, and she is ranked in the world top five for women’s singles.
Pegula, who was previously also ranked No. 1 in the world for doubles, went in as top seed for the singles tournament at the ATX Open in Austin. She won the tournament while dropping just one set along the way, beating compatriot McCartney Kessler in straight sets in the final.
Kessler was also a beaten finalist in the doubles. However, she and all the other finalists travelled with Pegula to California, where the Indian Wells Open is due to begin on Wednesday.
“Praise Miss Pegula. Okay!!!” doubles winner Yuan Yue wrote on social media (via Wales Online). “She has invited all the players in today’s game (doubles final) to take a private plane together. Thank you so much!!!”
“Otherwise, we would all have been on the road for at least nine hours tomorrow. Oh my God, how can there be such a beautiful lady?”
Yue and doubles partner Anna Blinkova beat the top seeds in the opening round before going all the way. They dropped the first set to opponents Kessler and Shuai Zhang but came back to win via a decider tie-break.
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“The final day girls discuss how flight to [Indian Wells], many different ways, some one leave from Austin / Houston/ Dallas ,someone might need to transfer at LA in the middle night,” Zhang wrote on Instagram. “Because [it’s] tough to get a flight after the doubles final… at the meantime @jpegula offering everyone who playing at the Sunday final to join her private jet，you know she can leave away right after her singles final , but she is such a selfless and generous girl.”
Pegula will go into the tournament at Indian Wells as fourth seed, meaning she gets a bye to round two. There she will await the winner of the first round tie between Peyton Stearns and Magda Linette, and a match-up with fellow American Stearns could bring out a different Pegula.
“I feel like I get extra fired up playing against an American, too,” the 31-year-old said after beating Kessler in Texas. “Like, ‘This is still my ground a little bit,’ especially for the younger players out there.”
Iga Swiatek is the reigning women’s singles champion after beating Maria Sakkari in the 2024 final. She is seeded second, and will begin her campaign against Caroline Garcia or Bernarda Pera.
There is also some British interest in the women’s singles. Katie Boulter is seeded 25th and will first face the winner of Irina-Camelia Begu vs Ann Li, while Emma Raducanu enters in the first round against Moyuka Uchijima with a meeting with Coco Gauff the reward for the winner.
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