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Archive photo · 20 July 2025WTA Apologizes After Jessica Pegula Calls Mirra Andreeva a “Diva”
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Pegula referred to Andreeva as a 'diva' during private practice conversation. Microphones captured private remarks and were streamed without consent.
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Hot mic at Indian Wells
Jessica Pegula took steps to repair the damage after a private conversation was accidentally broadcast in which she called Mirra Andreeva a “diva” during a practice session at Indian Wells. Pegula was heard telling her coach Mark Knowles, “I think she’s a good girl, but she’s a diva,” and she added, “She needs someone to bring her down a notch.” The WTA accidentally streamed the conversation between Pegula and Knowles on its official YouTube channel before the clips spread on social media, and the tour later removed the Wednesday practice recordings from YouTube.
Pegula’s comments focused on how Andreeva treated her coach, former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martínez, after a practice sequence in which Andreeva won four consecutive games but apparently became frustrated and threw balls toward Martínez. The WTA Finals are scheduled to start on Sunday, November 8, with the final scheduled for November 15, and Pegula is set to debut on Sunday against Coco Gauff.
WTA apologizes, privacy debate
WTA chair Valerie Camillo apologized to Jessica Pegula and said the live-streaming of private comments to her coach about Andreeva was “regrettable and unacceptable.” Camillo said the WTA removed audio recording equipment in practice areas as “clearly there was a failure in our technical execution and monitoring,” and she added, “I want to specifically apologise to Jessica Pegula and [coach] Mark Knowles.” Pegula called the incident “unfortunate” and said the WTA players' council supported players' calls for more privacy, while a Pegula representative said she had been “completely unaware” the conversation could be heard by courtside microphones.
Pegula told ESPN that “there’s a lot more surveillance and audio and access to the players at tournaments than there has been in the past,” and she said the incident would “definitely reignite the topic and, hopefully, we can unfortunately use this incident to keep pushing for more player privacy.” The New York Times described the tour’s statement as taking “full responsibility” for failing to inform players and their teams that microphones were active on the courts at the WTA Finals.
What happens next for Pegula
The WTA removed the Wednesday practice recordings from YouTube after the incident, but the footage of the conversation had already circulated online. Pegula’s representative told The Athletic that Pegula “had no idea whatsoever” that her conversation was being broadcast live and that she never expected a private training conversation to be made public. Pegula privately contacted the people involved to apologize, and the WTA said it “takes full responsibility” for not informing players and their teams that the microphones installed for fan live coverage were active during the WTA Finals.
The New York Times reported that Pegula said she had “lost a little respect” for Conchita Martínez because Martínez “pokes (Andreeva) and eggs on her behavior,” and Pegula also said Andreeva “needs to be humbled.” The WTA Players' Council member Pegula now faces the immediate challenge of moving past a conversation she had no intention of making public as the WTA Finals begin in Indian Wells on November 8.