Jessica Pegula has parted company with David Witt, the experienced coach who guided her to six grand slam quarter-finals, in a move her fellow American has described as “a total surprise”.
Pegula, the world No 4, reached the biggest final of her career at the season-ending WTA Finals in November, but struggled to build on that success over the Australian summer, losing to Britain’s Katie Boulter at the United Cup before withdrawing from the semi-finals of the Adelaide International with a gastrointestinal illness.
A shock second-round loss to Clara Burel followed at the Australian Open, where Pegula was seeded fifth, and she subsequently withdrew from the women’s doubles alongside Coco Gauff. Days later, the 29-year-old informed Witt of her decision to end a five-year partnership during which she reached a career-high ranking of No 3.
“It was a total surprise to me,” Witt, 50, told tennis.com. “Never saw it coming.”
While Pegula has yet to comment on the split publicly, the timing of the decision could be significant in terms of where she goes from here. The American recently pulled out of the forthcoming Middle East swing with a neck injury, and her next scheduled appearance is at the San Diego Open at the end of this month. That leaves a period of almost a month to begin working with a new coach ahead of the US hard-court swing, which begins in earnest on 6 March in Indian Wells.
Witt spent 11 years working with Venus Williams before joining forces with Pegula in 2019. In 2022, he was named WTA coach of the year after guiding Pegula to the last eight at three of the four majors. She also won a maiden WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara, rising from 18th in the world to third as she qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time.
Witt expressed disappointment at the unexpected conclusion of the relationship, but looked forward to making a prompt return to the tour.
“We’ve had a great friendship for five years, so it’s very tough,” said Witt. “I really value my relationship with my player just as much as I love coaching. It’s a tough business. I’ve been pretty lucky that I’ve only been with two players the last 15 years.
“Me as a coach, I go into it thinking I’m going to try to get the best out the player that I’m working with. I think we’ve done that.
“Our goals were to win a grand slam. Obviously, that was cut short, didn’t get to accomplish that, but I think everything else has been awesome.
“I love coaching, I love being out on the tour, helping someone – whether that’s a male or a female. I’m looking for the next challenge, the next person that wants to work hard, set goals, grow and succeed.”