Jessica Pegula’s Andreeva Criticism Puts WTA Finals Spotlight on Their Rivalry

Jessica Pegula’s private assessment of Mirra Andreeva has become a public storyline just as both players arrive at the WTA Finals. A livestream of Pegula’s practice session captured her criticizing Andreeva’s attitude and questioning the influence of coach Conchita Martinez, turning the event’s lead-in into a test of how the players handle scrutiny away from the court.

Pegula, the fifth seed, made the remarks while hitting in Indian Wells, which is hosting the WTA Finals beginning Sunday. She and Andreeva had played a practice set against each other that day. The exchange was between Pegula and her coach, but the livestream carried her words well beyond the practice court.

“Conchita has always been very nice to me but I’ve lost a little respect for her because I think, like this girl. I think she’s a nice girl but she’s a diva, she needs to be humbled,” Pegula said. She then argued that Martinez should be more direct with Andreeva: “She needs to be, like, put in her place. It’s like Conchita doesn’t know how to do it. Just stand up to her.”

Pegula’s criticism focused on court behavior

The core of Pegula’s complaint was her view that Andreeva’s frustration can spill into her interactions with Martinez, even when she is playing well. Pegula described a hypothetical moment in which Andreeva’s side was leading 4-0 but the player was angry with her coach and hitting balls toward her. Pegula said she would consider that disrespectful to the opponent and that a player in such a position should “shut the f*ck up.”

She also accused Martinez of encouraging the behavior. “I feel like Conchita pokes her and eggs on her behaviour,” Pegula said. Those comments make the dispute more pointed than a general criticism of temperament: Pegula questioned both Andreeva’s conduct and the coaching dynamic behind it.

The account gives no response from Andreeva or Martinez, and it does not provide more detail about the practice set beyond confirming that the two played one. So the remarks stand as Pegula’s perspective, rather than a full account of what happened on court. Whether Andreeva sees the comments as fair criticism or a personal slight remains unknown.

One comparison adds another layer

Pegula also brought Coco Gauff into the conversation, comparing Andreeva’s physical tools and mentality with those of the American. “If she had Coco’s mentality, she would be better than Coco,” Pegula said, adding that Andreeva had the serve, all-around game and movement to match.

That comparison carries extra weight at this tournament: Pegula and Gauff are in the same group and are scheduled to meet during the round-robin stage. Andreeva, the third seed, is in the other group. She can face Pegula only if both advance to the knockout rounds, giving the remarks a possible on-court sequel if their runs take them there.

The comment also offers a more complicated read on Pegula’s view of Andreeva. Her criticism was sharp, but she described a player with the tools to surpass Gauff if she brought a different mentality. That is a substantial assessment of Andreeva’s ability, even as Pegula challenged her conduct and Martinez’s handling of it.

The spotlight now shifts to the tournament

After the remarks spread on social media, the WTA removed the practice-session video from its YouTube account. Neither player had commented on the incident at the time of the report, though both were expected to face questions about it at WTA Finals media day.

For Pegula, the immediate test is keeping attention on her own campaign while sharing a group with Gauff. For Andreeva, the comments add an outside storyline to a tournament where she enters as the third seed. If the two meet in the elimination rounds, their next exchange will be measured in points and tactics; before then, how they respond to the livestream may shape the conversation around both players.