[Woman] So we're going to capture our young players.
Am I one of the young ones?
[Woman] You're one of the young ones, yeah. Yes.
Oh, wow. I'll take that.
[Commentator] You do forget how old they are. Both late bloomers.
Being a top-ten player for a long time is not easy.
And if you're not winning tournaments...
[in Greek] Very slow.
...The frustration can really drag you down.
[Amritraj, in English] For Jess and Maria, being a perennial top-ten player,
it's not good enough to end there.
Being consistent is great, but you do want to win the trophy at the end.
[Commentator] Is that window closing quickly?
Doesn't go on for very long, with all the up-and-comers?
Maybe I only have a few years left. If I screw that up, is my chance blown?
[Hill] What the fuck is this?
She's getting too negative.
You are starting to panic and get stressed.
I felt like an amateur again.
When I lose in big tournaments, I doubt myself and feel like,
"Am I ever gonna overcome it?"
I believe at some point, it will click with you.
Some point? I'm 28 years old. I need to win a tournament.
[Courier] For both Maria and Jess,
there's only one way to answer the critics,
and that's to put a W on the board.
[Pegula] Should we let them go swimming?
They'll be so happy.
[Dogs barking]
[Pegula laughs]
It's pretty funny when they go.
I'm Jessica Pegula.
I'm 29 years old and I'm ranked number three in the world.
Number one American...
man and woman.
I love using a Wimbledon towel. [chuckles]
People would kill for these and I'm using it to wipe off my dog.
- [Whines] - I'm sorry.
[Pegula] I turned pro when I was 17. That's a long time.
It feels amazing to start the year, you know, top five. It's pretty awesome.
- This is like too many carbs? - [Pegula] Yeah.
Oh, yeah, you should see our secret room.
So it's back here. [chuckles]
Okay, it's a bookcase, and you open this and it pushes.
It's kind of a mess.
Oh, yeah, this is a baby picture of me.
The balls, honestly, I don't even know. Oh, AFC East Division, so these,
we got them when we won in the 2021 season.
[Pegula] My mom and dad own the Buffalo Sabres NHL team
and the Buffalo Bills NFL team.
It was kind of the American dream
because my dad didn't grow up with a lot of money.
My mom was left on like a doorstep and adopted from South Korea.
Her and my dad met right when he was first building an empire
in the oil and gas industry.
My parents always loved sports.
So they bought the Sabres,
and the Bills a few years after that.
My name is Terry Pegula and the Pegulas just bought a football team.
[Newscaster] Kim and Terry Pegula, sudden leaders in the pro sports world.
[Pegula] Some people get this image that it's really easy for me
because my dad is very wealthy,
but that didn't happen till I was 17 or 18.
I didn't think we'd get so much attention.
It was kind of overwhelming, actually.
[Pegula] My dad was probably more hard on me than my mom,
the more old school one, pushing me.
We always say that she's our first sports team, and our favorite.
[Pegula] They gave me a great childhood and instilled a lot of work ethic in me.
This definitely got me to this point.
[Pegula] This year, I lost in the finals to Iga.
And this is actually pretty cool. This was my trophy, so to speak.
Um, it was when I lost to Serena in the finals of singles in Auckland.
[Umpire] Game, set and match, Williams.
[Commentator] Serena Williams banks singles title number 73.
[Pegula] The Auckland final was where I just started to do well.
It was a lot of different nerves, but it was just super special.
[Commentator] All credit to Jessica Pegula.
She has left a force to be reckoned with this week.
[Pegula] I didn't want to compare myself to her
'cause she just, yeah, was different. [Chuckles]
It's pretty cool.
I'm a late bloomer. Definitely a late bloomer.
Around four years ago I feel like is where I really kind of evolved a lot.
And I found a good coach.
[Pegula] Who are you FaceTiming?
I'm getting ready to go play a little golf with Ben.
I'll call you guys when I get the hole-in-one
with the picture next to the flag. You'll get a...
- [chuckles] - That'll be your second one ever?
Yeah.
The first one is questionable. We've never seen the plaque.
[Witt] The first one was luck, but now I believe I can do it.
You gotta believe.
[Laughs] Oh, my God. I can't.
Talk later.
Yeah, that's my coach, so...
That was just a glimpse.
[Gahagen] She was ranked around 90 when we started.
It was a matter of her believing in herself.
That's when she took off.
[Umpire] Game, set, match, Pegula.
[Commentator one] Quite a sensational performance.
[Commentator two] She brought on David Witt, Venus Williams' long-term coach.
Just keep going.
[Anchor] Three in the world. You kidding me?
Only three or four years ago, she broke into the top 100.
[Pegula] My ranking is high because I've done really well
in a lot of events consecutively,
but I haven't won that many tournaments in my career.
So it's like, "Okay, I'm Mrs. Consistent."
"I make a lot of quarter-finals. Yeah. I know, whatever."
[crowd cheering]
But you want more and you kind of start questioning
whether you're ever going to get there.
[Amanda] I was talking with Mom on the phone and she's like,
"In Wimbledon, oh, Maria's gonna do so well."
[laughs]
I'm Maria Sakkari.
I'm a professional tennis player from Greece
and I'm currently ranked number eight in the world.
Hopefully, if I do well, Grandma can come.
- [Amanda] That would be great. - That would be amazing.
- A while since we were all together. - Yeah.
[Sakkari] Last year, I was world number three,
but I've only won one tournament and that was four years ago.
I turned 28 this year and sometimes I feel like,
"What if I'm running out of time?"
You know, all these years, just getting here,
getting to that top level.
- It was just, yeah... - No, I--
...Very tiring and very stressful.
Yeah.
By the end of my career, I don't want to go down as just someone
that has been a very good tennis player, but has only won one title.
So I need that winning feeling once again.
Sakkari and Jessica Pegula have been constantly reaching for that one trophy.
But the longer that goes on, you put so much pressure on yourself.
Then you kind of put it in this unattainable realm,
you go into that thinking, you know, "This is my last chance to make a mark."
[commentator] Welcome to the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
The All England Club looking glorious.
[Kyrgios] There's always a special energy when you come to Wimbledon.
You can just feel the history. It's the tennis tournament.
[Umpire] Game, Sset, and match, Sabalenka.
[Commentator] Tour's wide open.
Five or six could win the tournament.
I think the women's side is as exciting as it's been in a long time.
[Commentator] Unbelievable. This girl is the real deal.
There's a changing of the guard that's going on.
So the players who are slightly older need to take it to that next level.
[Umpire] Game, set and match, Pegula.
[Commentator] She's got it.
Good hustle, Jess.
[Commentator] Jessica Pegula is through to the second round.
[Umpire] 6-7, 6-3.
[Pegula] When you get ranked higher, you definitely feel a lot more pressure,
but you just got to win round one.
[Sakkari] Wimbledon, obviously, I don't like the weather.
No one does. But it is a very special tournament for everyone.
Court?
[Hill] Seven.
Which?
- Same as yesterday. - Uh-huh.
This practice is gonna be great.
Come, Maria. Up or down?
Always up.
- [Hill] Always up. - We never go down.
She's always up. This is down. Sorry.
Down. It's okay.
[Hill] I'm very sorry. I always win the toss.
Coaches. They call whatever they want.
- [Kontaveit] Yeah. - Okay. So let's go.
Ready?
[Grunts]
[Sakkari] Anett Kontaveit, a very good friend of mine.
We grew up playing together. We're the same age.
Sorry, Anett.
- Can we take a break? - Yeah.
[Sakkari] But unfortunately she's injured,
and I'm so sad that she has announced her retirement.
[Sakkari] So, what are your plans?
I'm studying psychology for three years already.
[Sakkari] But you finished, right?
- No. - [Sakkari] No, okay.
No, no.
Do you think you're gonna work as a psychologist after that?
[Kontaveit] I'm thinking more towards like sports psychology.
Okay.
- So if I need help, will you help me? - [Kontaveit] Yeah.
[Sakkari] This past year has been mentally very tough for me.
It's been a roller coaster.
I'll be your first client.
[Kontaveit] I need to still do the masters,
and I don't know how long you're planning to play, but...
[Sakkari] Tennis is a brutal sport.
Last year, everything was going great, getting to number three.
But then there was a decline.
I lost my mind a bit.
I cannot hear you.
[Sakkari] It came so fast.
Just the idea of me being that close to be world number one,
I was not ready for it.
So then I started getting all these panic attacks
and there were matches where I just couldn't breathe.
[Commentator] She may be feeling the pressure.
[Sakkari] I thought I was gonna faint and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.
[In Greek] You shouldn't be talking!
[Sakkari, in English] I was in a dark place for six months.
[Hill] The Maria that started the season
just disappeared.
And it just got tougher and tougher
and it got to a stage where she wanted to quit tennis every week.
[Sakkari] I was just mentally and emotionally empty.
I was scared stepping on the court.
I have all these people
saying how when I get to the later stages of the tournament
I'm actually guaranteed to lose.
That gets in your head.
Amateur player.
Amateur.
Fuck's sake.
Because of this, I've had many tough moments and...
I see myself and I don't like what I see.
Sometimes I feel like I want to end my career.
But I don't feel like I've achieved everything that I really wanted to.
Are you happy you're stopping?
I think... I mean, it's been hard.
But now I've, like, kind of made peace with it.
So I feel okay now.
[Sakkari] You always wanted to not play.
[Kontaveit] I didn't think I was playing until, like, I'm old,
but I wasn't thinking I'm gonna stop this year.
[Sakkari] I know I'm not ready to finish my career
because if I was to choose to do something else,
I wouldn't feel the same way.
But if I keep losing, maybe it's just not worth it.
[Commentator one] A mouth-watering match ahead.
The eighth seed Maria Sakkari
taking on 21-year-old Marta Kostyuk from the Ukraine.
Five semifinals this season for Maria.
She'll be hoping to go deep in a tournament like this.
[Man in Greek] Come on, Maria!
[Commentator two in English] Sakkari can't wait to get on with it.
She has that eager look in her eye.
[Sakkari] The first round of Grand Slams are always super important to us.
[Commentator one] Oh! The Greek all over it.
[Sakkari] You want to get going and start the tournament playing good tennis.
[Commentator one] She's hitting the ball beautifully right now.
[Commentator two] When it's all clicking into place,
she is one of those you think could win a Grand Slam.
[Commentator one] And that's the reason why.
A perfect bagel set for Maria Sakkari.
[Commentator two] It will take a lot to get her to crack today.
But there is a huge dark cloud coming.
[Grunts]
[commentator one] Maria Sakkari turning the screw.
- [Umpire one] Out. - [Umpire two] Game, Sakkari.
[Commentator two] She just wants to finish before it rains.
[Announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, play is suspended.
[Commentator one] The match is suspended momentarily.
Hopefully, it'll blow over pretty quickly.
It's been a little one-sided so far.
[Sakkari] When you have to stop and start again, it's not easy.
All the thoughts that are going through your head
like, "How am I going to get the rhythm back?"
It's part of the game, but it sucks.
Ready, pull!
I think it's gonna pass.
[Crowd applauds]
[commentator one] So we're all ready to resume.
Can Maria Sakkari see this match off?
[Commentator two] Going off court in the rain break can throw you,
but you gotta cope with it.
[Sakkari grunts]
- [commentator two] Oh, dear. - [Umpire] Out.
[Commentator two] Is this the shift in momentum?
[Commentator one] There is a turning of the tide here.
Miss Marta Kostyuk has taken the second set.
Sakkari now hemorrhaging mistakes.
[Commentator two] It's just completely changed this match.
Wow. Sakkari is all over the place now.
[Sakkari] When things go wrong, it's a horrible feeling.
You have all the negative emotions and there's nothing you can do.
[Umpire] Out!
[Sakkari] It hurts.
[Commentator one] Sakkari all at sea.
And Marta Kostyuk with a chance of a big upset.
- [Umpire] Out. - [Crowd cheering]
[commentator one] An amazing comeback win.
Kostyuk downing the 8th seed Maria Sakkari,
having lost the bagel opening set.
[Commentator two] Sakkari just wants to get off the court and away from here.
[Sakkari] I just can't play anymore.
- [Hill] Are you okay? - [Sakkari] No.
I've reached my fucking ceiling again.
That's how I feel, if you want the honest truth.
- [Hill] Your mind can play games on you. - [Sakkari] I'm not delusional.
[Hill] Why don't you go back to what works for you?
I don't know what works for me.
[Hill] What works for you is your physicality. It's your best strength.
The whole thing, it's a big picture. Don't just now try to put--
You're trying to find excuses.
- I'm not trying to. - You are.
- What I'm trying to-- - You are not seeing the reality.
- Maria. - You are not seeing I cannot play anymore.
The last two tournaments, I cannot play. I feel like it's...
[sighs in exasperation] I can't get it back.
I've lost my way again. That's how I feel.
Right now we need to focus on
how we can get you to feel better on the court.
- I want to go change. - [Hill] Okay.
[Sakkari] For me, it was very disappointing
because there were times
where I could not just deliver that fighting spirit.
It's been killing me, you know, inside.
I don't want to play tennis forever. Maybe I should just quit.
[Osaka] You just go into every tournament thinking like you want to win so bad,
but when you're just not doing it, the more difficult it becomes.
Mentally, you can't handle it anymore,
but you don't really want to leave the sport...
like, kind of withering away.
[Commentator] Pegula has now reached the quarter-finals
in each of the four majors,
but never been beyond.
Will today be the day for the American?
[Pegula] Is it gonna rain?
[Witt] It's supposed to a little bit, at like 10:00 or 11:00.
[Pegula] Everyone always talks about quarter-finals.
The tension builds because usually you're playing better people,
the stakes are higher.
There's eight people left and it's... "Who's going to win?"
I definitely feel more pressure in the quarter-final,
so it's pretty challenging mentally.
[Gahagen] Good luck, Jess.
[Pegula] Thank you.
It's a big match, but I try to relax
and get my mind thinking about other things.
[Pegula] Did you watch your show last night?
[Witt] Oh, no, I went straight to bed. I didn't even watch Naked Attraction.
[Laughs]
Oh, my God.
But you're the one that found it on the guide.
Every night, it's on at 11:00,
and I'm like, "This show is just so whack."
- [Pegula] It is really wild. - What the hell?
[Commentator] This should be a really intriguing quarter-final matchup
between Pegula and Vondroušová.
[Witt] Vondroušová has been playing well.
She anticipates very well cross-court.
When you've the chance, you gotta take it down the line
and behind her.
[Gahagen] Jess is one of five Americans to make quarters at all the Slams.
So, Venus, Serena, Sloane, and Maddie, now Jess.
So... hopefully semi is next.
[Witt] She's getting closer and closer and I think once she gets over that hump
and gets past the quarters,
whenever that is, she's gonna win that Slam.
[Commentator one] Jess Pegula hoping it will be sixth time lucky
in the quarter-final of a Grand Slam.
But she's up against Marketa Vondroušová, who is a very dangerous opponent.
[Commentator two] This is a huge match. You get to the quarters
and these players can start to feel the finish line.
[Commentator one] No doubt nerves will play a factor in this one.
[Gahagen] How was she right before?
Good.
All right, here we go.
[Umpire] Jessica Pegula to serve.
Quiet.
[Commentator one] It's sublime. What a sensational point.
Feel this is going to be a test for Pegula.
Rock solid start from Vondroušová.
This girl plays fast.
Yeah.
[Grunts]
[Pegula groans]
[commentator one] Vondroušová takes the opening set.
Pegula in all sorts of tangles.
[Witt] Gotta hang in there.
Here we go. Come on.
Let's go, Jess. Fight back.
[Umpire] Second set. Pegula to serve.
[Commentator two] She looked irritated at the end of that first set.
Gotta stay composed and calm.
[Commentator two] Now playing with belief here, the American.
We're moving forward.
[Commentator one] That's just been a really good response from Pegula.
[Gahagen] Let's go.
[Pegula] Sometimes it's like the nerves go away and you free up.
We're always trying to reach that state of flow where it's just happening,
where you don't even have to think about it.
[Commentator one] That is fabulous from Jess Pegula,
showing mental toughness to take the second set.
[Commentator two] A real master class on how not to panic.
[Commentator one] And it's a one-set shoot out for a place in the semi-finals.
All right, let's go.
[Gahagen] Let's go!
[Commentator two] Great job from Pegula.
[Commentator one] Getting the break early in the deciding set
and she's getting the momentum here.
[Announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, we are expecting some rain,
we want to close the roof.
- [Crowd gasps] - You gotta be kidding me. Right now?
[Commentator one] Well, play is gonna be suspended here.
Rain is gonna come.
You gotta feel a little bit for Jess Pegula.
The momentum is with Jess. I'd rather them not close it.
[Commentator one] You just do not know what's coming next.
As soon as the roof is closed, we'll be back underway.
That's the thing with this roof closed, there's like no airflow at all.
She's going to play different.
[Pegula] It's frustrating to take a break for a little while in a match.
You're playing great, then all of a sudden,
the pressure is back on you.
You start getting a little nervous.
It's really difficult to keep that momentum.
[Announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, this is a resumption of play.
Jessica Pegula leads three games to one...
[Pegula] But I need to close this out.
Come on.
[Gahagen] Come on, Jess.
- Way to go, Jess. - [Witt] Let's go! Come on.
[Commentator one] What a good start.
[Umpire] Pegula leads four games to one, final set.
[Commentator one] Time running out for Vondroušová.
Here is the break point for Pegula.
[Umpire] Out!
[Commentator one] Was that a bit of tension from the American?
[Commentator two] Uncharacteristic error.
[Umpire] Out!
[Commentator one] And all of a sudden, it's game on again.
And what a fight back.
Who has the better nerve from here on in?
It's long. It's a fourth straight game for Vondroušová
and she will serve for the match.
[Commentator two] Got to say I did not expect this.
Jess Pegula was in the driver's seat.
[Commentator one] Incredible!
Vondroušová wins five straight games to get the better of Jess Pegula.
[Gahagen] You've got to be fucking kidding me.
[Commentator two] Jess Pegula desperately wanted to break that barrier
and get to the semi-final.
This one is going to hurt.
[Witt] Unbelievable.
[Witt] She had it. She's right there at the finish line.
She can see it. She can feel it.
And then you lose that match and it hurts.
[Witt] I don't even know what to say.
I mean, she outplayed her. 6-2, 4-1 after losing the first.
[Witt] When you see her lose or fail, it's just devastating.
Un-fucking-believable.
Fucking opportunity fucking out the door, man.
[Witt] I've probably only seen Jessica cry twice.
It hurts to see her like that.
[Woman] Is this peak Jessica Pegula?
Is this her ceiling?
[Witt] After a loss like that, she gets that press.
It's probably not the best time to hear that.
When somebody says you can't do something,
you pretty much want to tell that person to go fly a kite.
[Osaka] The golden rule of tennis is to never look at Twitter or Instagram
during a tournament
and don't look at it after a tournament either.
And you should definitely mute certain words and stuff like that.
[Hill] Yeah, that was a long week.
[Sakkari] Oh, my God, horrible.
Yeah, it's okay.
[Sakkari] After Wimbledon, losing at the first round,
that was a loss that really hurt.
What did you feel? What did you have inside?
I felt like shit. [chuckles]
I think you were just feeling a bit down.
It's okay, guys. Now I'm happy I'm here.
[Sakkari] Since then, I just gave time to myself
and went back to basics,
started working with my psychologist.
She really, really helped me not focus on negative things.
You're gonna have ups and downs 'cause tennis is like this.
It's not like I'm gonna win every single match from now on.
But you want to really understand that you belong in the top.
So you have to be proud of yourself.
[Sakkari] I know that I don't deserve social media hate messages
and all these bad comments.
So I'm not going to waste my time and energy thinking about it.
To spend time with my family
is something that is much more important for me.
It's great I have all of you here.
Tom, I think you should be very proud of Maria.
- We always believed in her. - Thank you guys. I'll cry.
[Both chuckling]
[Hill] One of Maria's pressures is to improve the mental side of her game.
That's the biggest challenge right now.
- [Angeliki] What do you think, coach? - I agree with everything you said, coach.
No, I'm not a coach. I'm the mother.
If I wanted to be the coach, you wouldn't be here.
No, no. That's not true. You too, Grandma.
Yeah. She's the coach.
- Chief coach. - I gotta step up my game.
[Sakkari] I cannot be afraid of failing right now.
I'm still not ready for retirement.
I believe that you can improve no matter what age you are.
I know that I'm capable of winning.
So, guys, let's have a toast for Maria.
- For tomorrow, good luck. - Thank you.
And be brave and you will win.
Another opportunity to get better.
- So we're not done yet. - [Angeliki] Yeah.
Wimbledon, yeah, that loss was really tough.
I was so close. I just blew a 4-1 lead.
So I think that definitely kind of knocked me down quite a bit.
The journalists that write about me have no freakin' clue.
I can't buy my way into a semi-final.
I was just like, "What kind of clickbait trash is this?"
I would definitely give up everything to win tournaments.
It's good to kind of let your feelings...
Just feel... You know, feel like shit, feel pity.
I think sometimes I try not to, and then I'm like, "No."
I just really want to feel sorry for myself
and be really upset and pissed off about it.
[Pegula] But it's like you have to do it again.
So I've got to go win my next match.
All right, we're here.
[Commentator] Welcome back, tennis fans, to quarter-finals Friday
of the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open.
Top seed and American number one Jess Pegula into a third D.C. semi-final.
[Pegula] I'm really excited to come back to Washington.
I won my first title when it was at 250 there.
So I always have really good energy coming back and playing in D.C.
[Umpire] Game, set and match, Sakkari.
[Commentator] That is some performance today.
It'll be Jessica Pegula up next for Maria Sakkari,
a mouth-watering top-ten clash.
[Hill] She's playing good enough.
Let me just call her psychologist.
Yeah, I mean, it's great.
She managed to kind of overcome quite a lot of demons
and I just want to help her now get over this next one.
[Hill] Maria has a sports performance psychologist that she's working with.
She tells me what sort of things I can say to Maria in big moments
that will help the mental side.
[In Greek] Good, you made it.
[In English] All-righty, I'm just gonna go have a quick chat with her.
...Says, "Well done!"
In the next match, you will only win if you're aggressive.
To win against these players, your unforced errors will be high.
Yep. But the person who is brave, that's the player that's going to win.
[Hill] She has a lot of baggage
from a few of the heart-breaking semi-finals
and that's the biggest challenge,
trying to erase the memories of some of these
and treat every semi-final as a new opportunity.
- [Hill] Look, the reaction was quick. - [Sakkari] Yes, it is.
[Sakkari] I think that once I win that semi-final,
it's going to be a game changer for me.
I just want to do it so much for myself, for my team, for my family.
But also just to show everyone that, you know, what you're saying is bullshit.
[Pegula] I didn't sleep at all last night.
[Witt] I didn't go to bed until like 2:00.
I watched all of... Pretty much most of Sakkari.
[Pegula] I didn't watch the end.
If she plays like she did that match, I mean, it's great tennis.
You remember when I played her at the French?
Yeah.
[Pegula] And she was like... It was like a battle.
[Witt] Big game.
[Sakkari] Jess is also one of the players
that her breakthrough was in the later stage of her career.
I respect her a lot for what she has achieved
because she has worked very hard all these years with David.
[Witt] What's this? Like a friggin'...
Good. One more. Switch.
[Witt] Save that for the dance floor. [chuckles]
[Pegula] Maria is a super-physical, athletic player.
I can relate to her.
She's had some struggles as well staying at this high level.
Maybe that's why we've always felt more of a mutual respect for each other.
But at the same time, now I got to go win this match.
[Announcer] Today is our big semi-final.
The number one Greek player taking on the number one American.
- Please welcome Maria Sakkari. - [Crowd cheering]
[announcer] And now, the number one American, Jessica Pegula.
[Crowd cheering]
[commentator one] The question is, who would you think is more aggressive?
[Commentator two] She is letting rip, Maria Sakkari.
That's it, that's it.
Nothing changes. Let's go.
[Commentator two] She's now found that short.
- [Commentator one] She did. - [Commentator two] By a millimeter.
[Pegula] Everything she's hitting is going in.
I feel like I'm getting picked apart right now.
[Commentator two] Too hot to handle
is Sakkari right now. She snatches the opening set.
[Pegula] Her athleticism around the court is very special.
Sometimes I feel like I have to win the point three times.
That mentally can wear me down.
Keep putting pressure on her this game.
You're doing great. Come on.
- [Umpire] Out! - [Pegula screams]
[Pegula] What do I have to do to just win the point and win the game?
All right, come back, come on.
[Commentator one] She is on fire.
[Sakkari] My mind sometimes just thinks a lot of the finish line.
Oh, my God. I'm just two games away. I have to close out the match.
Take your time, take your time. Slow things down.
[Commentator two] It's gonna take a lot for Jess Pegula to turn this around.
[Pegula] Let's see if I can stay in this,
just keep staying in it to give myself a chance.
Good point.
[Sakkari] Suddenly, her ball just flies.
I don't know what happened.
She is not the same as she was a few minutes ago.
Come on, Maria. Come on, stay calm this point.
[Sakkari] Staying in the present is the biggest challenge.
- [Grunts] - [commentator two] The tide turns here.
Jessica Pegula wins five out of the last six games
to steal the second set.
[Pegula] You win that second set and you're like,
"Okay, it's not like she's going to roll over."
"I still need to fight for this third set."
[Sakkari] I'm pissed. I'm angry, but I don't show any emotion.
I believe in myself. I know I can do it.
Come on, Maria. Stay aggressive. Come on.
[Commentator two] That's more like it from Sakkari.
That's a big game.
Stay in there. Come on.
[Commentator two] Wow.
Nothing between them on the scoreboard.
[Sakkari] Maria, try to find a way to win this match. Just do it.
[Commentator two] It's Sakkari that strikes again.
[Sakkari] I've got this. I'm gonna do things differently.
Stay calm, play free, stay in the present.
[Commentator two] Best point of the match by a country mile.
Sakkari turning defense into attack.
Her support camp on their feet.
No comments. What a point.
[Commentator two] Finally, Maria Sakkari wins her first semi-final of the season.
[Announcer] ...Maria Sakkari!
[Commentator two] A performance of mental steel from the Greek.
[Commentator one] You could feel also how much
mentally and emotionally it meant for Maria Sakkari.
She really overcame herself.
[Announcer] What a rivalry between the two of you.
Tell me what was it about your game that allowed you to hold onto the match today?
Just tried to stay in the present,
tried to overcome myself and take it as a new challenge.
[Announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, from Greece, Maria Sakkari.
[Sakkari] The emotions and the feelings you get after winning a big match,
you can't beat that.
It's the best feeling in the world.
That's why it's hard to give up.
[Amanda, in Greek] Oh, congratulations!
Grandma is waiting. Let's take a photo.
- [In English] You're my favorite player. - Thank you.
[Sakkari] Winning a tournament, that still is my goal.
But everyone has their own path.
I feel like I'm working on it.
Mentally, I'm in a good stage right now,
just to overcome that obstacle
and I think I'm going to do it.
But you never know when, which is good. [Chuckles]
[Witt] Shake it off. Tough day at the office.
- She played solid. - [Witt] She did.
- She didn't give me anything. - [Witt] Nope.
Put that one in the books and close the book.
I wish I could have tried something different,
wish I could have done a little bit more to see if I could have changed the match.
I hate when people write horrible stuff on social media or online.
I don't think I owe anything to prove those people wrong. I don't care.
But at the same time, there's definitely really dark moments where I'm like,
"What am I doing? Why am I doing this?"
"I'm just putting myself through the same thing over and over again."
"And it sucks."
[Pegula] Hi.
- How are you? - I'm good. How are you?
[Pegula] I feel like people, myself included,
we always root for an underdog story.
I don't really think mine is like that or at least people don't think it is.
[Man] Jessie?
- How you doing? - Good. How are you?
- Good to see you. Congrats. - Thanks. How're you?
- Doing great. How are you? - Good.
- How are you? - You all right?
How you doing?
- What up, though? - Not much.
- All the cameras, I'm nervous. - How are you?
- Good. - Good. How you doing?
- Are we doing a competition after? - Yes.
- Yeah. - Hell, yeah.
[Pegula] Have a good practice.
[Pegula] We're always just fighting those stupid narratives that I feel
the media or people always seem to harp on.
It'd be nice if people didn't say that
because this year it was really tough for the family and for my mom.
Last year, she went into cardiac arrest
and she was without oxygen for, you know, a substantial amount of time.
And so what she has now is recovering from a traumatic brain injury.
She was kind of the center of everything for the family and for work too.
So it was just really tough having to deal with that.
When something like that happens, you... yeah,
it completely gives you a new perspective on what matters
and how things can change so quickly.
It changed everything for our whole family really quickly.
My mom is just incredible.
She's very resilient. She's a great fighter.
I always feel like that's been her biggest thing that she's taught me.
[Coach] There you go! That's good!
[Pegula] If she's home fighting through what she went through,
I can deal with going to play a tennis tournament.
- [Whistle blows] - [player] Here we go.
I know we come from two different sports, but I feel like athlete to athlete,
we can all relate to the same thing.
And I know you guys want to win a Super Bowl.
I want to win a Grand Slam.
Trying to be great is fucking hard.
So it's really tough.
But, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
But I would say just enjoy the journey.
The dream is the journey.
So I would say always enjoy that because you're going to look back
and want to enjoy these moments right now in these days.
- All I got to say. Thanks, guys. - [Player] Well said.
- Thank you. Appreciate it. - Thanks, Jess.
- Thanks, Dion. Thank you. - Appreciate you.
Love it.
[Pegula] I would love to go deeper in tournaments.
I would love to keep fighting to get into finals.
I think I just want to know that I'm always improving.
How do you keep yourself stimulated to want to be the best every day?
Sometimes less is more. It's a balance.
- Growth mindset, right? - Yeah.
[Sean] You delivered that message at the right time.
[Pegula] It's hard to stay present, but I think I need to step it up.
You do need to get really gritty and bitchy, ruthless,
whatever you want to call it.
You just need to hunker down and just find a freaking way and dig in.
[Commentator] She's been dominant, Pegula, here in Montreal.
- [Crowd cheering] - [commentator one] It is Pegula.
Do you have the minerals to take home the victory over Coco Gauff?
[Commentator two] Hard to go against the number one player.
[Pegula] It feels like I'm in control of everything that's happening.
[Commentator three] Oh! That might be the shot of the tournament.
And the American prevails.
[Pegula] It's like I'm looking down at the match, moving the pieces.
[Commentator three] Exceptional from the American.
What a get that is.
Championship point.
Jess Pegula. Masters Montreal in style.
[Pegula] I'm proud of how I competed.
I know I can raise my level.
It was kind of a nice reminder of why I am a top player.
At the end of the day,
you want the titles to go along with the ranking.
Winning a week like this week makes it, you know, all worth it and...
makes you want to keep going for more.
[Pegula] To get to my level, you have to put in the work
or else you wouldn't make it.
It's really cool, to look back and say that
you got something out of all that hard work and that effort.
While I don't tie it to everything in my career, of course,
you always want to come home, and, yeah, have a nice trophy shelf and show people.
- [Sakkari grunts] - [crowd cheering]
[commentator] "Let's go," she says. Is she going to the title?
Here is the moment for Maria Sakkari.
Finally.
Maria Sakkari is a champion again at last!
[Sakkari] I did it. I overcame something very, very, very big for myself.
[Hill] As a coach, I was very, very happy for Maria.
It felt like a breakthrough.
[Sakkari] We've waited more than four years for a second title.
We've heard so many bad things.
That was very hard for me to overcome, and I'm so happy I did it here this week.
[Sakkari] In Mexico, everything changed for me.
I found myself again.
[Producer] Maria, what do you say to the haters?
That's not very ladylike to say, but...
Yeah, fuck them all. I don't give a fuck.
[Commentator one] The final major of the year.
[Commentator two] There are five American men seeded at this year's U.S. Open
for the first time since 2004.
The top American players, we all wanna be the first one to win a Grand Slam.
[Man one] There's a lot of tension around Americans not winning Slams.
In the plan, he wins this final.
[Man two] Only the strong survive here.
[Tiafoe] Can't be friends. The things you, want they want.
They're in your way to get food.
[Woman] It's Foe time, baby. Superhero.
Thank you for carrying our country on your back.
It's the last chance for Grand Slam glory.
[Commentator] Who has had more attention in the last month than Coco Gauff?
[Courier] Given Serena's swan song a year before
for Coco to come in and fill that void, it really is like a fairytale.
[Gauff] In New York, I feel like winning means even more.
[Sakkari] I want to be number one in the world.
This is the last chance.