THE MODERATOR: Jess, welcome back to the WTA Finals. How nice is it to be back at a venue that you know so well and you'll have great fan support?
JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I'm really excited to be back here in Indian Wells. It's always such a beautiful place. You can't help but love playing with this backdrop and the beautiful weather.
I was a little worried about the weather this time of year, but I think it's even nicer than when we come in the spring. So just excited to be back and be a part of such an amazing event.
THE MODERATOR: Who would like to start with questions?
Q. Jess, in Asia you were explaining how you were really pleased with the consistency of being back in these Finals. What do you think has led to the consistency?
JESSICA PEGULA: I think just always wanting to get better and to improve. I think all the players, I feel the level is just so high right now, and there's so much depth.
I'm always looking at players coming up or players that get hot, kind of thinking about what they do really well and how can I add maybe something to my game, keep making my strengths my strengths, then try to do things to help my weaknesses, areas I can improve on.
Looking only not just at other players, but how do I become less predictable in what I'm doing, as well. I think that's something we really focused on this year. I think that's helped a lot.
But over the last few years it's something I always look at. I always feel like I want to keep challenging myself and wanting to get better all the time.
Q. This year obviously another successful year. Made a final on three different surfaces. Can you just talk about what the process is and how difficult it is for you to have success on all different surfaces.
JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, I think it's really hard to have success on different surfaces just because you play a little bit differently on each one. I think you get used to a certain surface, then sometimes, for me at least, I'm like, Oh, I was just feeling good on the grass, just on the clay, then the season ends. It's kind of funny in that way how you do have to adapt a little bit.
But, I mean, my clay season wasn't that amazing this year. Even though you're saying that, I'm still kind of like clay season wasn't amazing. But I think clay is probably the hardest one to adapt to if you're not a true claycourter.
Seems like that's why we always have a different result at the French Open. Just learning how to get hot at the right time on clay, it's huge. Maybe that surface, it's a bit different.
I think it shows that your game maybe doesn't have a lot of holes, that you're able to problem solve and be a bit smarter out there.
I think keep an open mind. There's definitely surfaces I know that certain players hate. I think if you go in maybe with a different mentality and can kind of work on that, that can really change your season around on a surface that maybe you're not comfortable on.
That's what I try to do. I try to know if I'm struggling on one. I'm like, Yeah, I don't really like it, but I got to find a way to figure out how to make it work.
I think at the end of the day, too, you have to really stick to your game. I don't think you can change too much. I think sometimes it's just hitting different shots in different positions, and like your court awareness, knowing who you're playing, your opponent.
Other than that, I think whenever I've tried to change my game too much to a surface, it doesn't really work out very well for me.
It's really just being able to make those decisions a little bit better when you're on those different surfaces.
Q. These courts were sped up, at least that's what we were told, this year. I'm wondering if you feel a significant difference in the speed and also how the difference in balls, I think Dunlop in the spring, Wilson now, how that changes things for you in terms of your feel on court?
JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I've never played with the Wilson balls here. That was definitely something that I didn't know how they were going to play. I don't think any of us have played with them here. That was something we've had to get used to this week.
As far as I know, I think they've been playing actually okay. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
I think as far as the speed, it definitely sped up this year. I think we noticed that. There was more aces, shorter points, quicker points, whatever. They show kind of all the stats. They give the court speed and the readings and stuff like that.
I mean, I appreciated it. I thought it was just really slow and gritty and it was such a tough around going from that into Miami, which plays much faster. So for me I like that it was sped up a little bit.
I don't think it was crazy fast or anything, but I do think it was a little bit quicker. It seems like it's playing pretty similar to how it was earlier in the year. I don't think there's many surprises.
The balls feel okay. Feels pretty similar to when we come here in the spring.
Q. Of course, the tour came here in November a couple years ago. Just wondering if you could share what it was like to play here in November, and if you thought that was really something that helped your game.
JESSICA PEGULA: Do you mean like when we...
Q. It was October 2021.
JESSICA PEGULA: Did we play here? Honestly, I don't remember that. I don't remember a lot of things during that time, so I can't even answer that question.
The only thing I was concerned about, not remembering that we've already been here during this time of year, was the weather. But, I mean, so far it's been, like, perfect. I think it may cool down a little bit next week. I'm not sure. It's the desert.
Honestly we've had really cold nights when we play here in the spring. Again, I think almost in the spring the weather is a bit more temperamental where it can change really fast.
So far this week has been perfect. Hopefully it cooperates with us, I guess.
Q. You're a vocal, active member of the WTA. We've had a rather vocal, active political week here in America. Wondering if you were engaged by that at all? Did you find the time to vote, amongst all of your other business?
JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, I don't like to divulge too much about politics, but I do think there's a lot been going on in America the last few weeks especially. I think I've gotten a million text messages, as I'm sure you guys have all gotten, to get out there and vote, do all that stuff.
I mean, that's why I love our country. I think it gives us the freedom to go out there and choose who we want to choose. I just appreciate that aspect of it. I appreciate when people are patriotic towards whatever side they want to support. I think that's the entire point of being an American and living here.
Yeah, that's kind of all.
Q. You were able to vote?
JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah.
Q. I wanted to ask you quickly about your first match, Coco, a player you obviously know well. What did the two matches this year tell you about what you might need to do differently at the Finals?
JESSICA PEGULA: I think, yeah, that the few times I've played her this year, I felt like she played at a very high level. I felt like she played really great tennis. I didn't feel like we had any kind of, like -- I don't know. Sometimes you play someone, you both know you're not playing well, it's a weird level, awkward, whatever.
I feel like in Wimbledon, Cincinnati especially, she played at a really high level. Especially at Wimbledon towards end of the second, and third set. I think right from the start in Cincinnati.
I don't know. I mean, I think it will be a little bit different maybe that we're playing in a first round first match here, where sometimes I do think when she gets into a rhythm deeper in a tournament, I feel like she always plays better, which is probably why her Finals record is very successful. I don't know if she's even lost a Final.
Stuff like that could play a part. But honestly I have no idea. Like, we'll see how it goes. You never know what's going to happen out there. Like you said, we know each other's game so well. We know what we're going to try to do, try and change. Yeah, we'll just see when we get out there if we're able to kind of execute what we want to.
If one of us changes or is trying to do something different, how well we can react to that, as well. I think it will be interesting. I think we played first round last year, too, which I kind of forgot about that. Yeah, I remember we played first round yesterday. It was three sets, too.
Q. I think you got her last year.
JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah.
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