Jessica Pegula, the world No. 4 and richest tennis player globally, has revealed she refuses to stay at the same hotel as other players during Wimbledon. The American star, whose parents Terry and Kim have a combined net worth of £5.5 billion and own sports franchises including the NFL's Buffalo Bills, says accommodation is critical to her tournament preparation.
Pegula's Hotel Preference
Pegula, 32, who has won 11 singles and seven doubles titles on the WTA Tour, explained that choosing her own hotel away from other players is essential. She adopted this approach before last year's Wimbledon and the French Open, believing it could lead to success at SW19. Despite a shock first-round exit in 2023, she maintains that staying apart from competitors is mentally beneficial.
“We're either on the court or we're in the hotel room. It's such a big part of our lives, and as I've gotten older, a good hotel has become more of a priority,” Pegula said. “When you're 20, you're not complaining that much. Once you hit 30 and need a better pillow, that stuff becomes really important.”
Mental Drain of Player Hotels
Pegula described the official tournament hotel experience as “mentally draining.” She said, “Being away from everyone else is a massive thing for me. I just felt like, 'I can't do [player hotels] anymore.'” She compared the constant interaction with competitors to working with colleagues: “You wouldn't necessarily want to eat breakfast with them, practice with them, be in the gym, have lunch, go to the locker room and the physio room with them, and then see them in all the elevators and the hallways. I don't think people realise that shouldn't happen.”
Pegula, who reached the US Open final in 2024 and the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2023, will aim to improve on her best Wimbledon run. She arrives at the 2026 tournament in promising form after reaching the German Open final in Berlin. Her preparation choice, however, did not prevent a first-round loss to Elisabetta Cocciaretto last year.
