WTA apologises after Jessica Pegula's hot-mic remarks about Mirra Andreeva
The WTA, the women's tour, has apologised for failing to tell players that microphones were live on practice courts at the WTA Finals. The apology followed comments by Jessica Pegula, caught on a live microphone, in which she called Mirra Andreeva a "diva who needs to be humbled".
The tour admitted that it did not tell players their on-court conversations during practice were being broadcast. The WTA said the microphones were there to give fans a livestream of practice, and that they were meant to pick up ambient sound from the court. Going forward, it said, practice sessions will still be livestreamed, but without audio.
Pegula was on one of the smaller courts at the venue when she was picked up. She was talking with her coach, Mark Knowles, and the conversation was streamed on the WTA's YouTube channel. The talk turned to Andreeva, who is 19, and to Andreeva's coach, Conchita Martinez.
Pegula called Andreeva a "diva". She said she had lost respect for Martinez for not calling out Andreeva's behaviour. She also said Andreeva would be better than Coco Gauff if she had the same mentality. The Guardian reported the exchange, and the Telegraph carried the "diva who needs to be humbled" line.
Another practice session also drew attention. World No. 1 Elena Rybakina was heard in what looked like a spat with her coach. The microphones picked up the exchange, but the details of what was said were not reported.
The draw may limit any fallout on court. Pegula and Andreeva are in different round-robin groups, the stage where every player in a group plays each other once. That means they cannot meet until the semi-finals, the last four.
Practice is usually the one part of a tournament week where players can speak freely, away from cameras and reporters. Many players talk through their game plans out loud, and coaches often speak bluntly to them. That is why players, and the tour, now have to think about who might be listening.
For now, the WTA has said sorry and changed how practice is streamed. The tour has not said what it will do about the comments themselves.
