“You just want to kind of add a little bit, little by little. And that can be really, hard to do,”said Jessica Pegula when she announced the end of her 5-year-long partnership with coach David Witt. In a decision that shocked everyone, the American superstar joined hands with Mark Knowles and things started to take a U-turn. As in the case of any major change, tennis fraternity had to examine Pegula’s decision. And now Roger Federer‘s ex-coach, Paul Annacone is letting his thoughts out on the situation.

Paul Annacone, Roger Federer’s former coach, shared his insights on the recent coaching changes surrounding Jessica Pegula. In the recent episode of Tennis Channel Live (dated 5th of December), Annacone praised Pegula’s former coach, David Witt, acknowledging his crucial role in her career growth. “Yeah, did, and David Witt did a great job for Jess. It was a great partnership. And as Sam knows, and I know every once in a while, and in every evolution of a coach-player relationship just runs its course,” said Annacone in the podcast. Witt joined Pegula’s team in 2019 when she had yet to win a WTA title or crack the Top 75. Their partnership bore fruit almost instantly, with Pegula winning the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., in their first tournament together.

The victory, which included a win over then-66th-ranked Iga Swiatek, laid the foundation for her future success. Witt guided her to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2021 Australian Open and helped her achieve consistent results. This included six quarterfinal appearances in seven Grand Slam tournaments starting in 2022.

Despite their accomplishments, Pegula and Witt parted ways in January 2024. But Annacone is hopeful this change doesn’t mean something is wrong and bringing in Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein as co-coaches might help her. “I mean, there’s no harm, no foul, and a terrific opportunity for Mark squad to get involved, to see both the marks there helping her this year. I think. Is really important to really good, knowledgeable tennis players. It did take some time, but Sam talked about the end of the summer. Wow, that was pretty spectacular,” said Annacone.

The changes paid off immediately. Pegula defended her title in Toronto, reached the Cincinnati final, and broke her Grand Slam deadlock by reaching her first final at the US Open against Aryna Sabalenka. Annacone remains optimistic about Pegula’s future, noting her team’s strength and potential to bring great results in 2025. While the results were good, the changes made were tough for Pegula. Opening up on her separation with David Witt, Jessica Pegula explained why she did it.

Jessica Pegula reveals why she thought of making a coaching change

Jessica Pegula opened up about the motivation behind her decision to part ways with longtime coach David Witt earlier this year. Reflecting on the change, Pegula said, “I just felt like I needed something different. I’ve just turned 30, so I feel like I’m getting to that point where I am maybe more near to the end of my career phase, so I just kind of needed to make some tough decisions to try something different.”

Pegula emphasized that the decision was not easy but stemmed from a desire to embrace new challenges and ensure she left no room for regrets. “I didn’t want to regret not doing this. I think it was just something that naturally happened,” she explained.

However, her gamble is beginning to pay her big time and she was able to achieve significant results this year. With the new year coming in, will she be able to keep her momentum going? What are your thoughts on this? Do let us know in the comments below!