WTA takes responsibility after Jessica Pegula's practice remarks are livestreamed

The WTA has taken "full responsibility" after a private conversation between Jessica Pegula and her coach Mark Knowles was broadcast on a practice livestream at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells. The remarks, which concerned Mirra Andreeva and also mentioned Coco Gauff, were picked up on Wednesday 4 November, and the tour issued an apology to players and coaches the following day.

What happened in practice

The WTA was streaming players' practice sessions on its YouTube channel in the build-up to the season finale, with courtside microphones switched on. According to Front Office Sports, dpa and The National, those microphones captured Pegula talking with Knowles after a session with Andreeva, the Roland Garros champion and world No 3. The footage has since been taken down, Tennis Majors reported.

In the clip, Pegula described Andreeva as "a diva" and said she had "lost a little bit of respect" for her, as quoted by Front Office Sports. She also remarked that Andreeva would be better than Gauff with Gauff's mentality. Several outlets reported that the conversation also touched on Andreeva's coach, Conchita Martinez. Andreeva, Gauff and Martinez had not commented publicly at the time of writing.

The WTA's statement

In a statement reported by Front Office Sports, The National and dpa, the tour said it "takes full responsibility for failing to inform our players and their teams that microphones" were active on the practice courts. It added: "We sincerely apologize for failing to meet our responsibility to ensure players and coaches were properly informed."

A tour source told Front Office Sports that the microphones were meant to pick up ambient sound rather than conversations between players and coaches. The WTA said practice sessions at the event would still be livestreamed, but without audio.

Pegula's apology

Pegula has not spoken publicly about the episode herself. A representative told The Athletic, as reported by The National and The Tennis Gazette, that she "had absolutely no idea that her conversation with Mark was being livestreamed" and had "reached out directly to those involved to apologise".

The incident revives a debate about player privacy that ran through the season. At the Australian Open in January, Gauff objected after behind-the-scenes cameras broadcast her breaking a racket in an area she believed was private, and WTA chair Valerie Camillo called players' privacy concerns "completely valid", The National recalled. The difference this time is that the WTA Finals is organised by the tour itself.

Gauff v Pegula opens the week

The timing adds attention to the first day of play. Pegula and Gauff are both in Group 1 with Elena Rybakina and Linda Noskova, and the WTA's order of play has them meeting on Sunday 8 November, after Rybakina v Noskova opens the event at noon local time. Group 2, with Aryna Sabalenka, Andreeva, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova, starts on Monday, when Andreeva plays Svitolina.

The two Americans, friends and former doubles partners, are level at 5-5 in their head-to-head, according to the WTA. Gauff has won both of their meetings in 2026, in the Wimbledon quarter-finals and the Cincinnati final, while Pegula leads 2-1 in their three previous WTA Finals matches, including a three-set win in last year's group stage. It is the fourth year in a row they meet at the event.

Pegula and Andreeva are in different groups, so they could only meet in the semi-finals on 14 November or the final on 15 November. For a player who has reached the WTA Finals final once, in 2023, the priority now is to put the week back on the court.