Jessica Pegula, speaking to the press at the Billie Jean King Cup, shared her insights on managing the large amounts of tennis clothes she no longer uses. After her hard-fought victory over Sofia Costoulas, helping secure a 2-0 lead for the USA on Day 1 of the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier against Belgium, the world No.5 opened up about the abundance of apparel provided by her sponsor, Adidas, and how she handles the excess.
“It’s crazy, we get so much stuff,” Pegula expressed, referring to the surplus of tennis attire. “I’ve mentioned to Adidas so many times, that’s who I’m sponsored by, I wish you had a better way we can donate because you give us an excess of things that I don’t really need. Maybe one day they’ll come up with something.”
Pegula acknowledged having an overwhelming number of match outfits. “I have way too many match outfits, for sure. I give a lot of them away. Then some of it I do like sponsors and sign them and give them to sponsors and stuff.”
Most of her gear is being donated. “I do Vania King’s foundation, I think it’s Serving Hope. I’ll just give her bags of stuff. Some stuff I give to other kids in the area. Actually, I have a bunch of stuff in my car here that I need to give to the USTA. A bunch of shoes and stuff. Sometimes I give to Goodwill. It’s kind of a bunch of different stuff.”
When asked if she keeps anything for herself, Pegula revealed, “If there’s practice stuff that I really like or like a cool jacket or something, then I’ll keep it and be reusing it. The practice stuff I reuse a lot. Honestly, the match clothes, not much.”
Fast-rising American Emma Navarro, sponsored by Fila, encountered a similar question during the press conference. With only about a year and a half of sponsorship under her belt, she admitted, “I’m actually wondering the same thing.”
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