Pegula calls Andreeva "a diva" after Indian Wells practice
Jessica Pegula has called Mirra Andreeva "a diva", in remarks made on a live stream of a practice session at Indian Wells, California. The session was broadcast by the WTA, the women's tour, and Pegula's comments were picked up by a courtside microphone after she stayed on court to talk with her coach, Mark Knowles.
Pegula also told Knowles that Andreeva "needs to be humbled". She said that Andreeva's coach, Conchita Martinez, encourages the behaviour she was describing. BBC Sport reported the comments. In the same conversation, Pegula also called Andreeva "wonderful" and "smart".
Andreeva is 19 and won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in June. A Grand Slam is one of the four biggest tournaments in tennis. Martinez, a 1994 Wimbledon champion, has coached her since April 2024.
The timing matters because of the WTA Finals, the season-ending event that is being held at Indian Wells for the first time and runs until 15 November. Pegula is in a group with Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Linda Noskova. Andreeva is in a different group, so the two could meet in the semi-finals or the final, the stages after the group matches.
The same practice week produced another flashpoint. Rybakina appeared to have an angry exchange with her coach, Stefano Vukov, before a practice session with Noskova. The WTA suspended Vukov in February 2025 after an independent investigation into his behaviour towards Rybakina. He returned to her team in August.
Pegula has raised concerns about cameras before. In January, at the Australian Open in Melbourne, she complained about extra behind-the-scenes filming, calling it an "invasion of privacy". She is also a member of the WTA players' council, the group that represents players' views to the tour. The WTA has had YouTube streams of practice sessions at Indian Wells removed.
Practice is meant to be private work, and a courtside microphone changes that. Pegula's words were blunt, and they were not all negative. Her praise and her criticism came in the same breath. The WTA Finals will decide whether the two players meet again on court, and this time the stakes are a place in the final.
