American tennis star Jessica Pegula has won praise for her selfless gesture during last year's ATX Open in Austin, Texas. The world No. 6, often labelled the 'richest tennis player' due to her family's £6.65 billion fortune, offered fellow players a ride on her private jet to ensure they reached the next tournament on time.
After winning the singles title in Austin, Pegula could have left immediately but chose to wait for the doubles final to finish. She then flew doubles finalists McCartney Kessler, Zhang Shuai, Yue Yuan and Anna Blinkova directly from Texas to Indian Wells, California, sparing them a gruelling 1,263-mile round trip with late-night connections.
Zhang expressed her gratitude on Instagram, stating: 'She could have left right after her singles final, but she is such a selfless and generous girl.' Pegula replied: 'You’re too cute.' Blinkova also thanked her, writing: 'Thank you Jessie for your kindness and generosity.'
Pegula, who reached the US Open final in 2024 and once held the world No. 1 doubles ranking, is now competing at the Australian Open. She faces Elena Rybakina in the semi-final after defeating Amanda Anisimova in the quarter-finals.
