"It helps to cope with defeat," when Pegula showed up to a press conference with a beer at the 2022 US Open
World No. 7 Jessica Pegula competed in the US Open final in 2024. Two years before playing her first Grand Slam final in her home country, the American player hadn't gone that far, but had fallen to the eventual champion, Iga Swiatek, in the quarterfinals (6-3, 7-6).
During the press conference, the 28-year-old player at the time showed up with a can of Heineken to answer journalists' questions. This didn't fail to draw a reaction from one of the journalists who interviewed her.
Pegula, all smiles, didn't hesitate to be honest: "I'm trying to pee for the doping control... though it helps to cope with defeat," Pegula stated at the time.
The American would still get her revenge two years later, during her run to the final, by dominating the Polish player at the same stage of the competition (6-2, 6-4) as in 2022.
