Tennis player Jessica Pegula has been caught up in a scandal involving wiretapping

A scandal erupted in the Women’s Tennis Association after a private conversation between U.S. No. 2 Jessica Pegula and her coach regarding Russian tennis player Mira Andreeva was broadcast live. 

During a training session that was broadcast with the microphones on, the American athlete called the Russian player a “girl” who needed to be “put in her place,” and also expressed disappointment with the work of her coach, Conchita Martinez, for encouraging her protégé’s inappropriate behavior. 

At the same time, Pegula praised Andreeva’s playing skills and technique, comparing her agility and serve to those of Coco Gauff, though she noted her weaker mental toughness. The WTA apologized to the tennis players for failing to warn them that the microphones were on, removed the training footage from YouTube, and assured them that the audio would be muted during future broadcasts of training sessions.

Source: BBC.

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