The WTA says it bears full responsibility after Jessica Pegula labeled 19‑year‑old Mirra Andreeva a “diva” who “needs to be humbled” during a practice chat with her coach at the season‑ending Finals in Indian Wells.
Pegula found herself at the center of a firestorm when a hot mic caught her disparaging the French Open champion and her coach Conchita Martínez during the California year‑end event.
The Indian Wells practice was streamed live on the WTA’s YouTube channel as the Tour Finals kicked off on Sunday.
All practice streams from this year’s tournament have since been taken down.
“Conchita’s always been very nice to me, but I lost a little respect for her, because I’m just like, this girl, she’s a nice girl. She’s a diva. She needs to be humbled. Conchita eggs on her behaviour,” Pegula was heard telling coach Mark Knowles.
If I were her coach and my player had just won four straight games, then got angry and chased me, I’d tell her to stop talking like that.
She’s tough… I think she needs to be provoked to fire up and react.
Martínez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion from Spain, began coaching Andreeva in 2024.
Andreeva reached Wimbledon’s quarter‑finals last year before clinching her first Grand Slam at Roland Garros in June.
Pegula, a member of the players’ council, added that if Andreeva adopted Coco Gauff’s mindset, she’d become a far stronger competitor.
“It’s funny because if you see her with Coco’s mentality, she’d be better than her. Her serve and movement are just as good,” she said.
For my money, praising Andreeva as “wonderful” and “smart” shows Pegula respects true talent.
In a Thursday statement, the WTA said it takes full responsibility for not informing players and teams that microphones meant for fan livestreams were active on the courts, and apologised for the lapse.
The organization explained the mics were intended to capture ambient tennis sounds, not conversations, yet audio was recorded and safeguards were insufficient.
Live practice streaming will continue, but future feeds will be mute.
Pegula’s draw pits her against Gauff, world No. 1 and defending champion Elena Rybakina, and Wimbledon‑winner Linda Noskova.
Andreeva’s path avoids Pegula, instead matching her with Aryna Sabalenka, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova.
The WTA Finals run from Nov 8‑15 in Indian Wells before moving permanently to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2027.
The event spent the last two seasons in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Naomi Osaka‑era stars Gauff and Rybakina claimed the 2024 and 2025 titles respectively. Will the shift to Charlotte reshape the tour’s dynamics in the coming years?