Jessica Pegula has enjoyed a strong start to the French Open, earning two wins against Anca Todoni and Ann Li to advance to the third round.
Pegula had a difficult clay season coming into Roland Garros, crashing out in the early rounds of the Madrid Open and Italian Open.
The American has hit the ground running in Paris, however, despite some pundits already writing Pegula off at the clay-court major.
In her time off the court in the French capital, she was recently asked who would be on her Mount Rushmore of women’s tennis players, to which she issued a slightly confused response.
Jessica Pegula picks her Mount Rushmore of women’s tennis players
Pegula was asked by John Isner on the Bleacher Report YouTube channel to pick the four American players she would put on her Mount Rushmore of women’s tennis players.
The world number three responded: “I mean Serena [Williams] and Venus [Williams]. I would say Steffi [Graf], and then I would say Chrissy [Evert]”
Isner replied: “Wait, Steffi? Only Americans!”
Pegula then explained: “I was just thinking of GOATS. Okay, Monica [Seles].
Jessica Pegula’s Mount Rushmore of women’s tennis players by the numbers
Pegula’s Mount Rushmore has a combined total of 70 Grand Slam titles, with Serena Williams and Steffi Graf holding the lion’s share.
Serena leads the way with 23 major titles to her name, while Graf follows just behind with 22 crowns.
| Player | Australian Open | Roland Garros | Wimbledon | US Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serena Williams | 7 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Steffi Graf | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| Chris Evert | 2 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| Venus Williams | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
Chris Evert picked up 18 Grand Slam titles throughout her career, seven of which came at Roland Garros.
Venus Williams, whose last match was at the Miami Open last year, has won seven majors, including five Wimbledon titles.
