SAN DIEGO – In more than a half century of open tennis, only one woman has won her first Grand Slam singles title after turning 30.
Jessica Pegula is searching with increasing urgency for a way to become the second.
It helps explain why the American just unceremoniously dismissed David Witt, her friend and longtime coach. It helps explain why she just took the significant risk of revamping her service motion and why she just took nearly a month away from the tour while her rivals at the top of women’s tennis like Iga Swiatek were busy racking up points, miles and money in the Middle East.