The richest tennis player in the world chooses not to stay at the same hotel as other Wimbledon stars.
Jessica Pegula, known as the richest tennis player in the world, decided not to stay at the same hotel as other players during Wimbledon. She feels that where she stays is really important for doing well at big tournaments like Wimbledon, so last year she chose to stay somewhere else instead of the official tournament hotel.
Jessica’s wealth comes from her parents, Terry and Kim, who have a combined net worth of £5.5 billion and own sports teams like the Buffalo Bills. Even though she’s 32 years old, Jessica has built a great tennis career with 11 singles titles and seven doubles titles. However, she hasn’t won a Grand Slam yet. Her best was reaching the US Open final in 2024, and she made it to the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2023.
She talks a lot about how important the right hotel is, especially as she’s gotten older. Last year, she stressed this before Wimbledon but unfortunately lost in the first round. Jessica said, “We’re either playing or at the hotel. A good hotel becomes more important as you get older. When you’re young, you don’t mind tough conditions as much, but when you hit 30, even something like a better pillow matters a lot.”
Jessica also believes it’s important to get some distance from her competitors during a Grand Slam to stay focused. She explained that sharing breakfast, practice, gym time, meals, and even elevators with players you compete with all the time can be mentally tiring. “It’s not that anyone causes problems, but if you worked with someone, you probably wouldn’t want to spend every moment together,” she said.
Even though she stayed apart from others at Wimbledon last year, she didn’t do as well as hoped, losing early. This year, she’s hoping for a better run to show that her choice of accommodation really makes a difference.