American tennis star Jessica Pegula masterfully alluded to the hot mic incident at the opening of her WTA Finals press conference.
Pegula did not directly discuss the hot mic comments from a conversation with her coach Mark Knowles regarding Mirra Andreeva, her practice partner that left the Indian Wells practice court early.
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In that conversation, Pegula called Andreeva a diva and criticized her Hall of Fame coach, Conchita Martinez, for allowing the behavior.
MORE: Jessica Pegula’s hot mic comments about Mirra Andreeva add more spice to 2026 WTA Finals
Pegula’s opening comment got laughs
Tennis – U.S. Open – Flushing Meadows, New York, United States – September 6, 2026 Jessica Pegula of the U.S. celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Jerry Lai Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters (Reuters)
Pegula paused for a second, tapping the microphone a couple of times with her finger. She said she was checking to see if it was on. Members of the press laughed at the clever nod to the incident.
The WTA apologized to Pegula after admitting that the players did not know there were microphones on the practice courts. Pegula also reportedly apologized to Andreeva and Martinez.
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MORE: 2026 WTA Finals off to shaky start with hot mic, individual portraits
Not the first time Pegula had issues with WTA in 2026
Pegula called out the WTA earlier this year for a photoshop session gone bad on her picture.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
