Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys had a heartfelt reaction to hearing about their close friend and fellow American tennis player Jennifer Brady’s ongoing fitness struggles that have sidelined her from the tour.
Brady was last seen in action at the W100 Charlottesville in April, where she was forced to retire from her second-round match against Gina Feistel due to a knee injury after winning the first set 6-3 but trailing 1-3 in the second.
Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys Comfort Jennifer Brady After Emotional Update
During a recent episode of “The Player’s Box” podcast, Brady revealed that she got platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to treat her unfortunate knee injury, which forced her to miss the French Open and will also keep her out of the Wimbledon Championships.
“I shared, I think a couple episodes ago, that I had a knee injury in Charlottesville during my match. I was hoping to be able to play French Open and Wimbledon, but unfortunately I ended up getting a couple PRP injections and just kind of easing back into it,” Brady said.
The 31-year-old highlighted the challenges of returning from injury, explaining that the difficult recovery process made her sympathize with Matteo Berrettini, who was forced to retire from his French Open quarterfinal due to a hip injury during his comeback journey.
“It’s been a grind. Not easy, which is why I sympathize with Matteo and why I was rooting for him a bit just with all of his injuries and time off, time away. Coming back isn’t easy either,” she added.
Brady also credited Pegula for reminding her that her comeback was motivated by her love for tennis before breaking down in tears.
“Jess one day actually was giving me a little TED talk. Just kind of reminded me why I want to come back, and the reason why is because I love playing tennis and… Sorry, sorry guys,” Brady said.
As Brady grew emotional, Pegula and Keys were quick to console their fellow American while shedding tears themselves over her admission.
“We love you. Aww Jen, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Pegula said.
“We would give you a hug if we were with you. Tears are good. Tears mean you’re alive and tears mean you care,” Keys said.
“Oh my god, you’re making me cry. Okay, I need to hold it together,” Pegula added.
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Pegula and Keys further sent love to Brady in the comments section as a clip of the moment circulated on social media.
“Jenny the only one who can make me cry 😭🫶🏼,” Pegula commented.
“We love Jenny ❤️❤️❤️❤️,” Keys posted.
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While Jennifer Brady continues her injury hiatus, both Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys are set to begin their grass-court seasons at the Berlin Tennis Open, where they will be joined by Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff, among others. The WTA 500 event will get underway on June 15.
