Jessica Pegula has become frequent train rider on way to tennis matches
Jessica Pegula, who has become the “train girl’’ of the WTA Tour, is contemplating taking the Brightline to the exhibition match at the Miami Marlins ballpark.
On Monday night, Dec. 8th, Pegula, who has lived in Boca Raton since she was 13, will face Amanda Ansimova in a tennis exhibition at LoanDepot Park.
It is the first match of the Miami Invitational before world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz faces Brazil’s Joao Fonseca. Tickets are on sale at Marlins.com/tennis for the first tennis match played inside an MLB stadium since 1973 when Bobby Riggs faced Billie Jean King at the Astrodome.
Pegula, who finished 2025 ranked 6th, created swarms of good vibes by braving the New York City subway to the U.S Open the past two years, including one trip Adidas filmed. At this year’s French Open, Pegula was a passenger on the Paris underground to Roland Garros last spring.
There is a Brightline Boca Raton stop.
“I’m thinking about taking the Brightline down to the Marlins Field,’’ Pegula told The Palm Beach Post this week. “It’s a lot easier than me driving at the time I have to go down there. I’d like to take different trains to different tournaments.’’
Considering her parents, Terry and Kim Pegula, own the Buffalo Bills and Sabres, it is an ironic pursuit.
“I love taking trains,’’ said Pegula, who made the semifinals of the U.S. Open and season-ending WTA Finals last month. “It’s so much less stressful than driving 95. Oh my God. It’s a lot easier. People make fun of me but it’s way less stressful.’’
This is tennis’ short offseason, which began after the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia, in early November. After vacationing in the Bahamas and spending time in Buffalo, Pegula returned home to Boca last week to start training for these two exhibitions (she first faces Ansimova Sunday at Newark’s Prudential Center).
Though no tour points are at stake, Pegula is aiming to beat the Adventura resident who made the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals in a breakthrough. Ansimova jumped from 36 to finishing 2025 at 4.
A late bloomer, Pegula, 31, made her breakthrough in 2022 when she finished ranked No. 3.
“We’re all competitors,” Pegula said. “Even if you think you’re going to have more fun, at end of the day, you’re still playing pretty hard. The difference is the pressure isn’t there. It’s a less stressful situation. It’s more fun. You get to showcase what you’re working on, have fun with the crowd, do something more entertaining or exciting instead of sticking to a strategy.
“You have a lot more freedom. But we want to put on good tennis so you have to be trying 100 percent to put on a good show.’’
Pegula has attended one Marlins game as she’s become a New York Yankees fan since marrying her Yankees-crazed husband, Taylor. Pegula wore Yankees gear at the U.S. Open.
“We go to a lot of games when we’re in (New York),’’ Pegula said. “(My husband) has been a fan since he was a kid. My father is a Tigers fan so he’s not too happy that I switched to the Yankees.
“It was one of the reasons I wanted to play when asked. It was real fun to play MSG last year. It’s neat to play in places you haven’t played before and it’s super close to home for me and it’s a baseball field and never been done before (in a current MLB stadium). It will be cool to be the first players to do that. I love going to baseball games.’’
Here are five other topics Pegula touched on with The Post:
Jessica Pegula aiming for 2026 reload
Pegula isn’t going away despite the increasing women’s depth. She posted a year-end top-5 ranking in 2022, 2023 and 2024. She finished 6th for 2025, falling out of the top 5 when Elena Rybakina surprisingly captured the WTA Finals.
“I would’ve loved to finish top 5 if we’re looking at what looks cooler,’’ Pegula said. “But at this level, the depth is so good.
"I’m feeling good starting the new year. Being a top 10 player the last few years, it’s crazy. Not that I didn’t think I could do it but I surprised myself at the end of the year. Like, ‘I’m a pretty good tennis player. I’m not bad.' ’’
Pegula had some rough 2025 patches – a first-round KO at Wimbledon and failing to get past the fourth round in the first two Slams – Australian/French Open.
“I feel at the end of this year, I was becoming a better tennis player,’’ Pegula said. “I think I improved. I’m excited to take that into 2026.’’
The tune-ups for the Australian Open start on Jan. 5 in Brisbane. Pegula will remain in Boca training after the Ansimova exhibitions.
“I’ll be able to leave a little later after Christmas,’’ Pegula said. “Not feeling I have to rush out a day after Christmas or on Christmas. That’s always a bummer. Nice to leave a little later this year.’’
What happened to Buffalo Bills at Miami Gardens last month?
Pegula has been at Hard Rock Stadium for a multitude of Bills games – mostly Bills’ victories. On Nov. 9, the Miami Dolphins turned the tables in a stunning 30-13 rout of Buffalo, easily the best performance by the 2025 Dolphins.
Pegula was still in Saudi Arabia and barely saw any of it live – just highlights.
“The time changes were rough – the game was the middle of the night and didn’t get to watch the match,’’ Pegula said. “Not great. We had done so well against them the last couple of years. It was a wakeup for us to have it come the other way around.’’
On the Arnya Sabalenka rivalry
In the U.S. Open semifinals, Pegula lost to Arnya Sabalenka 6-4 in a deciding third set. The match was crazy-close with the point differential two points – 90-88. Sabalenka has been Pegula’s nemesis, owning a career record of 2-8. She also lost to her in the Miami Open finals in March.
But Pegula feels she’s found some new answers and took out Sabalenka in October in the significant China Open in Wujan. Although Sabalenka returned to the victory circle at the WTA semis, Pegula feels 2026 could be different.
“I don’t want to give it away but I feel like I have a better read on patterns I want to do,’’ Pegula said. “Beating her in Wujan was big for me. I felt I played the right way at the Open. I felt what I did was working and I was reading her. I think I know how to beat her but it’s executing. Some players I didn’t know what to do.’’
Reuniting with Coco Gauff for doubles
Pegula is hopeful she and Delray Beach's Coco Gauff will play together again. They still remain friends and practice partners – just not a doubles team.
The Palm Beach County duo had a prosperous partnership in 2022, 2023 and 2024. They were runners-up at the 2022 French Open and won three WTA 1000 women’s doubles trophies, including at the Miami Open. They haven’t played together since the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"She’s been away the last couple of weeks and I’ve been away so I haven’t practiced or seen her,’’ Pegula said. “Maybe I’ll ask her in the next couple of weeks.’’
Gauff took a step back from doubles in 2025 as she struggled with her serve and erratic singles results.
“I think it would be fun somewhere to play again,’’ Pegula said. “We haven’t t played together in so long. We had a great run there. I don’t think it’s the top of our priorities. Next year I’ll try to play a little more doubles than I did last year and have a partner who is set. I do enjoy playing (doubles) and had so much fun playing with Coco.’’
Future plans include 2028 Olympics, working for Bills, Sabres
Pegula caused waves after the Paris Olympics when she told Coco she didn’t think she’d still be playing by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She has changed her tune.
“The next one was four years from now so that seemed really far away (in 2024),’’ Pegula said. “I said, 'I don’t know if I’ll be playing by then.' Coco was like, 'What are you talking about? You better be playing then.' ”
And now Pegula claims she plans on it. She turns 32 in February but recently said on a podcast she won’t be playing at 35. She’d be 34 at the LA Games.
“It would be amazing to play the Olympics in LA as an American,’’ Pegula said. “It would be amazing. Hopefully I’m playing.’’
Joining the Bills or Sabres front office has always been a post-tennis idea.
“I’ve always thought about that,’’ Pegula said. “My parents have always thought about it. I’ve been the one in the family into sports. I wanted to be the first GM of a hockey team. I always wanted to be involved in sports and love sports so much. I still want to be involved in tennis but it’s definitely something they’d want me to get into.’’
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jessica Pegula takes trains to matches even if people make fun of her
