Jessica Pegula, the world No. 4 women's singles tennis player, has long been known as one of the wealthiest athletes on the circuit. Her billionaire father, Terry Pegula, has seen his fortune soar to an estimated £6.9 billion, up from £5.6 billion in 2005, according to Forbes. The 32-year-old American is set to face compatriot Coco Gauff in the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Tuesday, July 7, as the highest seed remaining in the draw.
Family Fortune and Inheritance
Terry Pegula built his wealth through oil and gas enterprises. He also owns two major sports franchises: the Buffalo Bills (NFL) and the Buffalo Sabres (NHL). His net worth now places him as the 367th richest person globally, per Forbes. Jessica is poised to inherit a share of this vast fortune, which includes a £58 million superyacht named Top Five II and a private aircraft she frequently uses and occasionally lends to fellow tennis players.
Despite her family's wealth, Pegula has pursued her own tennis career with determination. She has achieved career-high rankings of No. 3 in singles (2022) and No. 1 in doubles (2023). Her 10th career singles title came in February at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she defeated Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-4 in the final. Earlier this year, she reached the Australian Open semi-final, losing to Elena Rybakina.
Wimbledon Prize and Career Highlights
If Pegula wins Wimbledon this year, she will add £3.6 million to her personal earnings. Her best Grand Slam showing came in 2024 when she contested the US Open final. In doubles, her most impressive achievement was reaching the French Open final in 2022. Pegula has reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for just the second time, having first done so in 2023, after beating fellow American Iva Jovic in the fourth round.
When asked why she continues to invest so much in her tennis career given her family's wealth, Pegula responded: "It's something I've loved to do since I was a kid, since before I had anything about my family or money or the teams or stuff like that. I wanted to be No. 1 in the world when I was, like, six years old. It's been my dream for as long as I can remember to be No. 1, to be able to play on tour, to be able to win Slams. It's pretty cool that I can look back and say that I'm putting myself in contention to do that, living out my dream."
