Parents are the pillars of support in the success of their children. Ask Jessica Pegula, who will step onto the court later today to play her maiden Grand Slam final. The American star is in the summit clash of the US Open after some thrilling performances over the past few days. She will be up against the tournament’s favorite, Aryna Sabalenka. Despite reaching her peak, the path to the top hasn’t been an easy one for Pegula. She received massive support from her parents. The 30-year-old once made an interesting revelation about who had a greater impact on her career between her mother and father.

Jessica Pegula was born into a billionaire family that was very fond of sports. Interestingly, her mother and father, Kim and Terry, also own several sports teams, one of them being the NFL team Buffalo Bills. It was her parents who motivated Pegula to venture into tennis. However, both her mom and dad had contrasting roles when it came to supporting Pegula in her career.

During an interview back in September 2021, Pegula appeared on the Bills Pod Squad podcast, along with her mother, Kim. While crediting her dad’s support, the American star made a hilarious admission, saying, “Dad and I are like oil and water on the tennis court — it does not mix well. But he definitely always pushed me to do better. To work hard, always work hard, you can always outwork somebody, all that type of stuff. He’s very old school.”

On the other hand, Pegula’s mother was involved more with her day-to-day tennis activities. She helped Pegula stay fit and healthy while the player was sweating it out on the court. Pegula further went on to add, “You were the more off-court, get healthy. Like the diet, the recovery, you know, the training and stuff like that.”

Despite her parents playing a huge role in Pegula’s career, they avoid watching her matches. The American star once cited a bizarre reason why her parents don’t watch her matches from the stands.

How nerves get the better of Jessica Pegula’s parents

While Pegula’s parents have been massively involved in her success, the two are seldom spotted watching their daughter’s matches from the stadium. However, they do follow her on television. The sole reason why they avoid watching Pegula play from the stadium is that they get too nervous.

Highlighting this tale, Pegula once said, “He (dad) just tells me ‘good job. He likes to give his little recap of the match or what the opponent was doing. He might enjoy watching at home. She (mom) never watched my matches before, because she got too nervous.”

Despite her parents’ absence in the stadium, Pegula will hope that with the local fans’ support, she can lift her maiden Grand Slam title later today. However, it won’t be a cakewalk against Aryna Sabalenka, who is looking to overcome last year’s disappointment of losing the finals. The summit clash will take place at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.