World No.3 Jessica Pegula was the recipient of a colossal upset at the French Open. The 31-year-old was knocked out in the fourth round at Roland Garros by Lois Boisson, a 22-year-old French wildcard ranked 361st in the world. Playing in her first Grand Slam main draw, Boisson stunned the third seed with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. This result meant Pegula couldn’t match her 2022 quarterfinal run in Paris. What’s worse? She had to deal with the betters and trolls on social media after her loss. The American was expected to bounce back on grass. Well, that comeback might have to wait a little longer.

Her packed schedule was starting to raise eyebrows, but Pegula didn’t seem too concerned. When asked about her workload, she said, “If I’m feeling really good, I like to take advantage of it. I think from last year I learned just that I was a little burnt out and I didn’t need to play as much. I didn’t as much last year. But this year I’m like, Oh, I feel good, I feel ready to go, so I might as well take advantage of that.”

But as the grass season begins, Pegula has decided to take a breather. The American has withdrawn from the upcoming HSBC Women’s World Championship, also known as Queen’s Club, scheduled to start Monday. This year marks the historic return of women’s tennis to the prestigious London venue after 52 years.

Jessica Pegula, last year’s US Open finalist, was supposed to headline the event as the top-ranked player in the draw. Her absence is now one of two major withdrawals before the tournament has even started. Joining her on the sidelines is Naomi Osaka. The Japanese star who had received a wildcard entry has pulled out, too. Osaka’s French Open campaign ended with a heartbreaking first-round defeat to Paula Badosa, and now, her grass-court comeback is paused too. Both Pegula and Osaka’s withdrawals were officially confirmed by Queen’s Club through their X account.

While fans will miss them in London, the break might be exactly what Pegula needs after a tough stretch on and off the court. That’s because Pegula isn’t just dealing with losses on the court; she’s also dealing with a wave of online abuse.

Jessica Pegula breaks silence on “insane” online backlash from trolls

After her shock exit at Roland Garros, Jessica Pegula was flooded with hate messages, especially from angry online bettors. In a set of Instagram stories, the American shared screenshots of the vile messages she received. Many were deeply personal and crossed the line. “These betters are insane and delusional,” she wrote. She added that while she tries to block DMs and disable comments during tournaments, “they always find a way to my timeline.”

Sadly, this wasn’t the first time she’s had to deal with something like this. The 31-year-old had earlier opened up about online hate during a 2024 incident involving her skincare brand, Ready 24. Someone from the team had noticed disturbing comments and flagged it to her. Even her grandparents saw the threats and were concerned.  Despite it all, Pegula has kept going. “It’s not normal. But it’s totally normal for us. It’s so bad that it’s kind of come to that point,” she once said, reflecting on how common this abuse has become in tennis. She also raised a larger concern: “It seems to be predominantly tennis?? It’s so disturbing.”

She’s not the only one speaking out. Other WTA players like Coco Gauff and Caroline Garcia have also voiced concerns about the toxic behavior coming from online gamblers and trolls. It’s becoming a bigger conversation in the sport.

Gauff had revealed her tactic to be the following in an interview. “I use it as fuel. In this sport, the season is very long and sometimes fans get very dramatic after a couple of losses, they think your career is over. I just believe that one must keep training, focus on oneself, and try to silence all those voices. I don’t feed what people say because I know it’s not true. I would love, sincerely, to play perfect tennis every year for the next ten, although I don’t know how long I’ll be on the circuit. However, I can’t. It’s impossible, nobody does. It’s part of life, so I use all of that as motivation.”

As far as her on-court return goes, Jessica Pegula might be seen next at the Berlin Tennis Open, which starts on June 16th. She’ll head in as the defending champion, hoping to reset her season on a more positive note. A break from tennis might just give her the space she needs to recharge. But can she silence the noise and come back stronger on grass? What do you think?