Pegula calls Andreeva 'a diva' after practice session
World number five Jessica Pegula described Mirra Andreeva as "a diva" in a live stream after a practice session with the Russian teenager. In a private conversation with her coach Mark Knowles, Pegula expressed the need to "humble" Andreeva, citing her coach Conchita Martinez's encouragement for her behavior.
The session at Indian Wells, California, was live-streamed by the Women's Tennis Association before the WTA Tour Finals on Sunday. Pegula and Knowles stayed on court after the session, and the comments, including some expletives from Pegula, were picked up by a courtside microphone. YouTube streams of practice sessions at Indian Wells have since been removed by the WTA, but footage has circulated on social media.
Pegula, a member of the WTA players' council, also praised Andreeva, calling her "wonderful" and "smart".
What did Pegula say?
Some audio is unclear, but Pegula discusses Andreeva's and Martinez's complaints throughout the session, even though Andreeva won every game.
Knowles: "She treats Conchita so bad."
Pegula: "Conchita's always been very nice to me, but I've lost a little respect for her because I'm like, this girl - I think she's a nice girl - she's just a diva. She needs to be humbled. She needs to be [inaudible] putting her in her place; [inaudible] stand up to her."
Martinez, a 1994 Wimbledon champion, began working with Andreeva in April 2024. Andreeva reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year and won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in June.
Pegula: "Conchita pokes her and eggs on her behaviour."
Knowles: "She needs somebody to put her in her place. Once she gets that, I think she'll be really good. I mean, she's already really good. Look how she moves."
Pegula: "She moves like a cat. She's wonderful. She's got the perfect serve. She's smart. She anticipates well."
Pegula then compares Andreeva to world number four Coco Gauff, noting that if Andreeva had Gauff's mentality, she would be better.
Pegula: "It's so funny how you see her and then you see Coco's mentality. If she had Coco's mentality, she'd be better than her."
Knowles: "Oh, definitely."
What happened with Rybakina?
Pegula's group opponents at the WTA Finals include Gauff, Rybakina, and Linda Noskova. The latter's practice session with Noskova was also live-streamed.
Australian and US Open champion Rybakina appears to argue with coach Stefano Vukov as they walk to the net, saying "Stay here. I'm talking to you. Can you stand here?" They share a few more inaudible words before joining Noskova and her team on the other side of the court.
Vukov was suspended by the WTA in February 2025 following an investigation into his behavior towards Rybakina, later returning to her team in August.
Pegula voiced concerns about additional behind-the-scenes cameras at the Australian Open in January, describing the filming as an "invasion of privacy" that needs "cut back."