WTA's Photoshop Blunder Sparks Humorous Response from Jessica Pegula
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) found itself at the centre of a social media storm after posting a bizarre photoshopped image of world number five Jessica Pegula, prompting the American star to joke about receiving the 'waist of my dreams'.
Dubai Final Promotion Goes Awry
In a now-deleted Instagram post promoting the Dubai Tennis Championships final, where Pegula is set to face Ukrainian Elina Svitolina on Saturday afternoon, the WTA shared an image that had been heavily edited. The 31-year-old American appeared with an unusually tiny waist and parts of her arm completely missing from the picture.
'Wtf happened to my body,' Pegula replied in the Instagram comments, accompanied by a laughing emoji. Her fellow compatriot Madison Keys, whom Pegula defeated in straight sets during last month's Australian Open fourth round, also chimed in with a hilarious response.
Social Media Reactions and Speculation
'That waist is SNATCHED #nophotoshop,' Keys wrote, adding to the amusement. Pegula took to X to further comment, stating: 'Thank you for giving me the waist of my dreams but I think pieces of my arm are also missing not sure what happened here.'
The WTA subsequently re-posted the image to their Instagram account without acknowledging the blunder, but Keys was quick to return to the comments, tagging Pegula and writing: 'Body still tea.' Many social media users speculated that a background removal tool might have mistakenly picked up the white in Pegula's outfit and erased parts of her arm, while others flocked to platforms with memes and jokes about the incident.
Pegula's Light-Hearted Take on the Situation
Pegula, who beat fellow American Amanda Anisimova in the Dubai semi-final on Friday, jibed that having her 'dream' body 'felt good while it lasted.' This is not the first time she has found herself at the heart of social media entertainment this week. When a fan replied to a post noting Pegula had made the semi-finals of every event since the 2025 US Open, asking how many she had converted to titles, Pegula gave a sharp response: 'Zero my friend. Dubai is pending.'
As the tennis world awaits the Dubai final, this photoshop mishap has provided a moment of levity, showcasing Pegula's good humour and the playful banter among players on social media.
