Jessica Pegula's Wimbledon match postponement not related to Kim Pegula's health issue
The World Wide Web went into overdrive briefly Tuesday afternoon when word came from England that women’s tennis standout Jessica Pegula’s match at Wimbledon was postponed.
Immediately, the rumor mill began grinding that it must have had something to do with the health of her mother, Kim Pegula, the co-owner of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, who has been hospitalized for nearly two weeks with an unknown health issue.
As it turns out, rain wiped out part of the schedule at the All-England Club and her match has been rescheduled for Wednesday.
The very fact that Jessica Pegula is competing in the tournament is probably a good sign, but in order to quell consternation, the Pegula family - which has been almost completely silent and will not provide detail on Kim's condition or what the issue is - put out the following statement:
“Kim is progressing well and is resting and rehabilitating from a health issue. We are grateful for the medical professionals providing her care and to everyone for their prayers and well wishes. We ask that you please continue to respect our need for privacy during this time.”
Jessica Pegula, who is seeded eighth in the women’s bracket of the tournament, was supposed to face Croatia’s Donna Vekic in a first-round match. That match did eventually took place Wednesday and Pegula advanced to the second round. Afterward, at her press conference, she provided the most conclusive news to date about her mother's situation.
“She’s doing a lot better now. That’s why I’m here. If she wasn’t doing well, I probably wouldn’t have come," Jessica told reporters. "I flew out Wednesday last week, and within that time she was in a really good condition, where I felt like everything was fine, and I felt like my family had everything under control. She’s progressing and she’s been doing rehab. I felt comfortable coming here. But that’s why I didn’t play any warmup tournaments.”
Last month, Pegula lost in the quarterfinals of the French Open where she lost to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Jessica Pegula Wimbledon postponement not due to Kim Pegula's health
