World No. 3 Jessica Pegula joins Alex Sherman to discuss her rise to the top of women’s tennis, the demands of the WTA schedule, late-night U.S. Open matches and her pursuit of a first Grand Slam title. Pegula also shares how she manages her career like a business, her family’s Buffalo Bills and Sabres ownership, The Players Box Podcast and her partnership with The Farmer’s Dog.

Episode Notes

Jessica Pegula joins Alex Sherman for a wide-ranging conversation about professional tennis, athlete health, the WTA schedule, Grand Slam pressure and life inside one of America’s most prominent sports families. Fresh off another deep U.S. Open run, Pegula explains what helped her become an elite player later in her career and why learning to work smarter, stay healthy and manage her body became essential to her success.

Pegula also discusses one of the biggest issues facing professional tennis players: an increasingly demanding tournament calendar. As chair of the WTA Tour Architecture Council, she shares her perspective on mandatory events, two-week WTA 1000 tournaments, recovery time and the mental and physical toll of a season that stretches across most of the year.

The conversation also explores late-night U.S. Open matches, Pegula’s pursuit of a first major championship and the mindset she has developed after repeated runs into the second week of Grand Slams.

Beyond the court, Pegula talks about her family’s ownership of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, what she has learned from seeing professional sports organizations from an ownership perspective and whether she could become more involved with the organizations in the future. She also reflects on her mother’s serious health emergency and how tennis provided an important outlet during an extraordinarily stressful period.

Topics discussed include:

• Jessica Pegula’s partnership with The Farmer’s Dog and her passion for canine health
• How injuries and maturity helped Pegula reach another level in professional tennis
• Late-night U.S. Open matches and potential scheduling changes
• Managing the pressure of chasing a first Grand Slam title
• The WTA Tour Architecture Council and concerns about the tennis calendar
• Growing up in a family that owns the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres
• What Pegula has learned about professional sports ownership
• How her mother’s cardiac arrest affected Pegula and her family
• Why Pegula describes professional tennis players as the “CEO” of their own teams
• The Buffalo Bills’ new stadium and Pegula’s relationship with Josh Allen
• How The Players Box Podcast began with Madison Keys, Desirae Krawczyk and Jennifer Brady
• Madison Keys’ candid comments about the mental demands of professional tennis

Timestamps:

01:35 Maddie, Jessica Pegula’s dogs and The Farmer’s Dog partnership
05:18 How maturity, injuries and smarter training changed Pegula’s career
06:41 U.S. Open scheduling and the challenge of extremely late matches
08:34 Handling Grand Slam pressure and pursuing a first major title
09:55 WTA Tour Architecture Council and changes Pegula wants to see in the schedule
11:11 Growing up in the family that owns the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres
12:31 What Pegula has learned from the business of professional sports ownership
13:38 The future of the Bills and Sabres within the Pegula family
14:38 Pegula reflects on her mother’s cardiac arrest and how tennis helped her cope
16:01 Why elite tennis players operate like CEOs of their own traveling teams
17:17 Buffalo Bills’ new stadium and Pegula’s relationship with Josh Allen
18:23 How The Players Box Podcast grew out of a group chat among tennis friends
19:12 Madison Keys, mental fatigue and candid conversations about life on tour

Mentioned in the episode: The Farmer’s Dog, U.S. Open, WTA, WTA Tour Architecture Council, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Josh Allen and The Players Box Podcast.

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