Any fan of U.S. tennis knows that this country’s highest-ranked player, Jessica Pegula, loves her dogs. They’ve been with her, in body and spirit, for some of her biggest wins and most emotional moments.
Two years ago, after winning the National Bank Open in Montreal, Pegula posted a poignant tribute to Dexter, her German shepherd, who had passed away a few weeks earlier. She thanked him for “looking out for me” from above, and helping her go from “crying on my couch” to one of the most important titles of her career.
“His favorite thing in the world was tennis,” she said.
That bittersweet triumph made it even more special when Pegula had a chance to bring Maddie, her mini Australian shepherd, on stage for the trophy ceremony after she made another title run, at the Charleston Open in April. The victory, her first on clay, vaulted her back to a career-high No. 3 in the world, and No. 1 in the States.
“The love from your dogs is unreal,” Pegula said last week from Stuttgart, where she was starting her red-clay swing. “They aren’t going to sit there and judge you; they just listen and love back, no matter what. They help me bring me back to appreciating the small moments at home, no matter what tough moments I’m facing.”
