FORT WORTH, Texas—The off-season can’t come soon enough for Jessica Pegula after a whirlwind two weeks have taken her from the highs of her first WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara to the lows of going winless at the WTA Finals.
After competing at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, Pegula plans a road trip to California’s Napa Valley—a more low-key destination compared to the more lavish beach vacations other players have already booked.
“I’ve always wanted to go,” she said after a round-robin defeat to Aryna Sabalenka. “I’ve never been. I’m not like a huge wine person but I would love to learn more. Some of our friends wanted to go, as well. It was in the States, so it’s not too far away. I didn’t want to go anywhere out of the country. That’s always kind of a bummer. I feel like if I’m looking at trips or you know, trying to go somewhere I don’t really want to fly anywhere far.
“And hopefully I have at least, like, a few weeks to kind of wind down and be home,” she added, planning to spend Thanksgiving with family. “I haven’t been home, you know, that much this year. And this last stretch has been long, so it’ll definitely be nice to be home.”
The break will undoubtedly give Pegula time to process the year she’s had, one that saw her reach three Grand Slam quarterfinals, reach a career-high ranking of No. 3, and qualify for the WTA Finals in both singles and doubles.