LONDON:
World number four Jessica Pegula said he considered ending his tennis career early last year due to his mother Kim’s health.
Kim, the co-owner and president of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, suffered a heart attack in June and required CPR from his other daughter Kelly before paramedics arrived and restarted her heart.
Pegula got the news after returning to Florida from the French Open, where she lost to eventual champion Iga Swiatek but rose to number eight in the world.
“Suddenly I went from, ‘Let’s celebrate the top 10 in the world’ to, ‘I have to start thinking about my career after tennis sooner than I did. think about it?'” Pegula wrote in an article in The Players’ Tribune.
“I’m 28 years old and I’m proud to be able to handle all the situations that were thrown at me, but this is a lot.”
Pegula said she wanted to share her mother’s story after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a heart attack during an NFL game last month.
Pegula went on to play at Wimbledon and the US Open last year to reach a career high of number three.
“I always wanted to play Wimbledon when I knew my mother was fine,” Pegula wrote.
“My father didn’t want me to play, but I knew he wouldn’t be happy if I missed it because of him. I had to deal with a lot of doubts and questions surrounding his health, even after the news that he died,” added Pegula, who lost to Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals of this year’s Australian Open.
“It wasn’t the funnest Wimbledon I can remember. I had some good wins, and I was proud that I was able to go out and compete considering the situation.”
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