World No. 3 Jessica Pegula faced a shocking fourth-round exit from the 2025 French Open after falling to an unseeded home favorite, Lois Boisson, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, in 2 hours and 42 minutes. With that, the French wildcard became the lowest-ranked woman to make a Grand Slam quarterfinals since Kaia Kanepi, who reached the 2017 US Open quarterfinals ranked No. 418.
During her post-match press conference, Pegula expressed frustration with the lengthy duration of tennis events, notably the two-week tournaments, keeping her away from home.
Jessica Pegula Explains How Extended Tournaments Challenge Her Away From Home
Pegula was asked whether competing far from her country, particularly during the clay-court swing and the demanding two-week tournaments, becomes challenging for her.
The 2024 National Bank Open champion was quick to acknowledge her dislike for two-week tournaments. Pegula, coming off subpar runs in the two-week WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, said such stretches feel easier when you’re consistently winning.
“I’m not a fan of two-week tournaments. I think it makes everything super really long. Grand Slams are already really long, and so now to be two weeks in Madrid, two weeks Rome, and then two weeks here is really tough. But that’s the way it is now. And of course it’s always better when you are winning a lot of matches because the days and the weeks go by much faster,” she said.
The 31-year-old explained how early losses make long events tougher, with repetitive routines and constant travel between tournaments adding to the challenge.
“If you’re losing somewhat early or in the first week, and then you’re seeded and you don’t play till really late in the next week. That can be kind of tough, being on site and traveling in between tournaments, and you’re just kind of Groundhog Day trying to train,” she added.
Prior to her fourth-round loss in Paris, the American experienced third-round exits in Madrid and Rome. Reiterating her stance, Pegula said those subpar campaigns made the gaps between events even more difficult.
“You know the usual. But so I feel like it depends on how you do. It’s been a little tough this year for me because Madrid and Rome didn’t go particularly amazing. I won some matches, but again, the weeks kind of in between get kind of long, which is why I played Strasbourg. But it’s a tough kind of stretch for the Americans, for sure,” she said.
Pegula Received Heartbreaking News About Her Dog While Competing on the Clay-Court Swing
It is worth noting that Pegula faced a heartbreaking situation this clay-court season when she lost her dog, Tucker. She shared the devastating news on her Instagram on Thursday, May 22.
“Unfortunately, on Tuesday, we lost Tucker in just under a few hours—out of nowhere. My heart is filled with so much sadness. I didn’t even want to post this, but everyone knows how my dogs are a huge part of my life,” she wrote in a poignant note on Instagram.
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Tucker, a chocolate Labrador, was Pegula and her husband Taylor’s beloved pet and frequently featured on their social media. The World No.3 also cares for two other pets—Des and Maddie, a mini-Australian shepherd.
Despite the devastating update, Pegula honored her on-court commitments and, just one day later, faced Anna Kalinskaya in the first round of the Internationaux de Strasbourg, ultimately falling 6-4, 4-6, 2-6.
