World’s richest tennis star wants to set up her own tournament

Jessica Pegula has shared her desire to run an entire tennis event after she retires – and it may feature a number of high-profile stars including Britain’s Emma Raducanu. The American star is enjoying a strong start to the 2023 season and has won 18 wins on the WTA Tour during this year’s campaign.

The world No 3 has also progressed to the quarter-final at the Miami Open and will face Anastasia Potapova, who Pegula beat in three sets at Indian Wells earlier in March.

Ahead of her last-eight clash against Potapova, Pegula expressed her desire to one day run a complete tennis event after she retires, especially in her hometown of Buffalo.

The 29-year-old said: “I would love to have one there [in Buffalo], I don’t know where because Buffalo isn’t really a tennis haven. But maybe one day. I think that’s always been something I’ve thought about, even after my career, is having a tournament.

“I think that would be really fun. I don’t think my parents are really up for it, but maybe one day I will have one or try to get something going there.”

The links between Pegula and the business side of sport are not unfamiliar. Pegula’s parents are owners of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.

However, despite her strong links with Buffalo, Pegula also said running an event in Toronto would also be a goal post-retirement.

She added: “I think it would be really fun also making the connection with Toronto, Montreal, obviously Toronto being right there, I know we alternate with the men, but it’s so close.

“I don’t think people realize how close it is. It’s like an hour-and-a-half drive. Yeah, that would be cool because I had a lot of fans in Toronto that were either people from Buffalo or associated with Buffalo just because of the proximity. So maybe one day.”

Pegula, also known as the richest tennis player in the world, recently suggested that she wanted to share some non-tennis moments from her life with fans and followers.

She took to Instagram last week, as she penned: “Trying to post more non tennis content.” In the snaps, the New York native can be seen going about her everyday life – including spending quality time with her pet pooches.