On court, Jessica Pegula knows exactly how to make the most of her Yonex EZONE 98, keeping opponents under constant pressure. Off court, though she swaps the racket for a controller, the competitive edge doesn’t go anywhere. Whether it’s Call of Duty or a Nintendo classic, Pegula is just as locked in.

So when her fellow Nintendo partner, Taylor Fritz, threw down a challenge on Mario Tennis Fever, she didn’t hesitate. Pegula was all in for a virtual “Battle of the Sexes” showdown.

On April 2, after another gritty three-set win at the Charleston Open, Pegula shifted gears and got into something more fun off the court, and the conversation quickly drifted from tennis to gaming.

“I saw Taylor Fritz did the same kind of thing, and he already messaged me and said he would destroy me, and I was like, all right, like calm down,” Pegula said with a grin.

The World No. 5’s confidence comes from years of playing Nintendo classics growing up. Fritz, meanwhile, is no stranger to gaming himself, often traveling with his setup on tour, so this isn’t a one-sided matchup by any means. If anything, it’s the kind of crossover showdown fans wouldn’t mind seeing more of.

“Yeah, I played Mario Tennis all the time. I’ve played a lot actually of just like Super Mario Brothers, and I played on Nintendo DS, which was, yeah, great console, by the way, probably my favourite console that ever existed,” she said.

The partnership, she explained, felt like a natural fit. “It just happened, like a few months ago they asked me to be a part of it, and I’m a little bit of a gamer, so I think I was excited to like be involved in something that I grew up playing with.”

Similarly, for the World No. 8, gaming is an escape from the demanding tennis calendar that the players go through the whole year. He has stated several times that his competitive nature is what makes him love gaming. So when he is physically drained, he seeks to compete on a console. 

Both players getting involved with Nintendo was not simply a business deal, but a childhood passion that has stayed alive in both Americans. 

However, there was one small confession on Pegula’s side. Someone who makes a living out of swinging the racket with precision faces challenges in the motion-controlled mode. 

“I’m definitely much better with the controller than I am in the swing mode, which it’s kind of like a Wii tennis situation. Wasn’t as good with the remote, which kind of doesn’t make sense. You’d think I would be better. But I was much better with the controller,” Pegula laughed.

As for her character of choice, Jessica Pegula landed on Princess Peach, with a brief detour via Daisy. “I think I’m usually Peach. I don’t know why. I just always tend to be like the girl. Also in Mario Kart, too. I don’t know.”

It is worth noting that Daisy was described as an “all-around” player, which could very easily describe the top seed as she aims to defend her Charleston title.

Moreover, as Pegula takes on a virtual “Battle of the Sexes” challenge from Fritz, this isn’t the first time the two have been mentioned in the same breath when it comes to gaming. The Buffalo native has previously admitted that the big-serving American might actually have the edge over her in that arena.

Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula’s gaming friendship

The off-court dynamics of Pegula and Fritz are not a recent affair. The two have been bantering about their gaming skills for quite some time now. Last year at Charleston, when the 32-year-old was asked about who was the better gamer between them, Jessica Pegula had to pass the crown to Taylor Fritz. 

“Oh, I would assume him, like, I usually go to him for gaming advice — especially when it comes to travelling. I was thinking about getting a gaming laptop, so I asked him, ‘What do you use? What’s the best ones?’ Since he travels a lot with his setup, I really trust his opinion,” Pegula said.

Fritz’s gaming credentials on tour are well established. Among his contemporaries, he is known to travel with a full setup, a fact that Pegula mentioned again at Charleston this week when she mentioned that the Nintendo Switch is surprisingly practical in terms of its portability compared to the days of dragging a PS4 through airport security.

Pegula is already in the business of making her first gaming partnerships last year, with Call of Duty: Mobile, where she featured in the game as part of its “Make it Mythic campaign,” the first video game activation in women’s tennis.

She has openly discussed gaming as a true decompression method on tour, playing with her brothers, friends, and husband. And it happens that she has a worthy opponent within the domestic circle; her sister Kelly Pegula has been giving her a good run in Call of Duty battles. 

“Kelly definitely puts in more hours than I do. We go back and forth a lot. She played during college, and we’ve been on Call of Duty for a while now,” Pegula revealed.

On the part of the 28-year-old, he is usually occupied with his favorites like ‘League of Legends,’ ‘World of Warcraft,’ and ‘Rust.’ The ATP pro even feels that gaming helps the competitive mental aspect of athletes on court, and that’s why he respects esports players equally. 

The Nintendo deal is merely the latest installment in what has been the most relatable off-court story on the tour. While Fritz is recovering from his injury, he has made the first shot, and Pegula has told him to calm down. The Mushroom Kingdom awaits.