As the daughter of billionaire owners Terry and Kim Pegula, who own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, many assume Jessica Pegula’s path to professional tennis was laid out for her from the start. However, the American tennis star recently opened up about how she chose tennis, how her family entered the sports business, and how she led the way.
“I Was the Athlete in the Family” – Jessica Pegula Reveals How She Led Her Parents Into the World of Sports
During her latest press conference at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Pegula was asked whether she felt preordained to enter professional sports, given her family’s legacy. And the World No. 3 addressed the lingering misconception by clarifying that the Pegula family’s massive franchise ownership did not actually happen until she was well into her late teens.
“Well, I feel like a lot of the stuff, as far as my family, didn’t really happen until I was like 17 or 18 years old. So, to me, my parents, they always felt like that I was, that it kind of led them into sports because I was the athlete in the family,” Pegula said.
The true catalyst for Jessica’s tennis career was her older half-sister, Laura Pegula.
“My older sister also was like a Division I college tennis player, so that’s why I got into tennis. I remember watching her play… and I just started because I would take lessons after school because that’s kind of what she did.”
Laura, Terry’s daughter from a previous marriage, graduated from a Pennsylvania high school in 2000 and became a standout Division I player at the University of Pittsburgh, eventually earning team MVP honors. Growing up in Pennsylvania, Jessica simply picked up a racquet like her big sister.
The American added that watching their daughter rise through the tennis ranks gave Terry and Kim firsthand insight into the world of professional sports, helping them understand what it took to enter the industry.
“I think my parents always joked that having these teams was like… it’s like 50 of me, and they said that’s way harder to manage than just me. So I think I kind of prepped and maybe led them into that space,” Pegula explained.
The Pegulas bought the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres in 2011 and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills in 2014 for about $1.4 billion, strengthening the family’s bond with Buffalo, where Jessica was born, and continue to support both teams on social media.
Meanwhile, at the Canadian Open, the two-time champion navigated through rain delays to book her spot in the Round of 16, as she defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 6-0 in the third round. Next up, she will face the 15th seed, Diana Shnaider.
