WTA apologises to Jessica Pegula for broadcast of 'diva' comment about Andreeva

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has issued an apology to American tennis player Jessica Pegula after a livestream captured her making disparaging remarks about fellow competitor Mirra Andreeva. The incident occurred during a practice session at Indian Wells in California, where a courtside microphone recorded a conversation between the world number four and her coach, Mark Knowles.

During the broadcast on a WTA YouTube livestream, Pegula was heard calling 19-year-old Russian player Andreeva a “diva” and suggesting that the French Open champion “needs to be humbled”. Furthermore, she criticised Andreeva’s coach, Conchita Martinez, claiming she encourages such behaviour. A representative for Pegula stated that the player was “completely unaware” that her discussion was being recorded.

WTA chairperson Valerie Camillo addressed the controversy during a news conference on Friday ahead of Sunday’s WTA Finals. Camillo attributed the broadcast to “several breakdowns in our execution of the livestream given our own policies and procedures” and confirmed that all audio recording equipment has since been removed from practice areas. She explained that microphones were intended only to capture ambient sounds, such as the ball being struck, rather than private conversations.

“I want to apologise on behalf of the entire WTA for these occurrences,” Camillo stated, specifically naming Pegula and Knowles. She acknowledged that there was a lack of clear signage and advanced notice provided to players regarding the recording equipment. Pegula told ESPN that the incident highlights concerns regarding increased surveillance, adding: “I think it's something that we have fought a lot over the last couple years as there's a lot more surveillance and audio and access to the players at tournaments than there has been in the past.”

The WTA has since removed the YouTube streams of the Wednesday practice sessions, although the footage had already circulated on social media. The WTA Finals are scheduled to commence on Sunday with the top eight singles players competing in two round-robin groups.