Life did not take long to turn on its head for Jessica Pegula back in 2022. Coming off a successful French Open campaign, which saw her reach the singles quarterfinal and the doubles final, the American was looking forward to a nice rest at home. However, her plans went up in smoke as her mother, Kim Pegula, had to be taken to the hospital after a cardiac arrest. What followed was a difficult period in the lives of the entire Pegula family, something that the World No.3 alluded to in a recent interview.

“That was really tough,” Pegula said in a CNBC interview. “She went into cardiac arrest, and that was a lot to deal with. But I think for the most part, we’re on the other end of it now.”

While it is good news that Pegula can talk about being on the ‘other end of it’, the journey needed to reach there was not an easy one. The family was in the hospital for two weeks straight, as Pegula’s mother gradually improved and responded to the treatment. However, even though the doctors were able to resuscitate her, the cardiac arrest had led to a brain injury as well.

The added complications meant that Pegula’s mother needed a longer path to recovery, even after being released from the hospital. Her brain function being affected meant that she had to relinquish her role as the CEO and the President of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, the two billion-dollar assets that the Pegula family owns. As for Pegula herself, the World No. 3 chose the sport as the support she needed to move through this difficult period.

Only weeks after her mother’s health scare, Pegula was in action on the court at Wimbledon. She did not go past the third round, but the American being at SW19 under such circumstances spoke to her resilience. She played the full North American swing as well, going through events in Washington, Toronto, and Cincinnati before reaching the quarterfinals at the US Open.

Later in the 2022 season, Pegula had her first notable career milestone, as the American clinched a maiden WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara, a win she dedicated to her mother on the court. That win also helped her establish herself as a strong Top-10 player and marked the best period of her tennis career from 2023 onwards.

Tackling her health, it was understandable that Pegula’s mother was mostly at home. Someone who was always nervous about watching her daughter play spent most of her time indoors watching Pegula’s matches. She made a significant appearance at last year’s US Open, when she attended Pegula’s matches against Ann Li and Barbora Krejcikova. The most recent public appearance by Kim Pegula was at the Buffalo Bills’ practice session as the team moved into their new home stadium, Highmark Stadium.

As for Pegula, she has often talked about how her mother has inspired her on her tennis journey, while also not shying away from the toll that a loved one’s health scare took on her.

Jessica Pegula Relived the Horror of Her Mother’s Cardiac Arrest Through Another Incident

It’s not easy to get over the health scare of a loved one, and Jessica Pegula mentioned that when she wrote about the entire incident involving her mother on the Players’ Tribune back in 2023. The American did not shy away from the fact that it took her some time to recover from the incident, as she talked about how Damar Hamlin’s incident in early 2023 forced her to revisit her mother’s health scare.

Hamlin played for Pegula’s team, the Buffalo Bills, and suffered from a cardiac arrest on the field during a match against the Cincinnati Bengals. The player being from her team and the incident happening not long after her own mother’s, Pegula felt the shock of the Hamlin incident, something she talked about in her own words.

“My stomach sunk because it felt like the exact same thing all over again. I was sitting on the bench for a tennis event in Sydney, Australia. I wanted to throw up,” said Pegula in her piece on the Players’ Tribune while talking about Damar Hamlin. “I was supposed to go on for mixed doubles in 15 minutes and I remember telling one of my teammates, I am a little freaked out right now, this is too close to home, and I feel like I am going to have a panic attack.”

Yet again, Pegula showed her inner resolve as the American had to be on court at the United Cup, where she was part of Team USA. Despite the Hamlin incident hitting her hard, Pegula won four of her five singles matches and all four of her doubles matches, helping her team clinch the title.