Jessica Pegula qualified for her fourth consecutive WTA Finals and that makes her the oldest player in 24 years to achieve the feat, and also the oldest American to do such a thing in 31 years.
Pegula, who celebrated her 31st birthday in February, officially secured a WTA Finals in mid-October. At the time, the American was the sixth player to book a Riyadh ticket.
In 2022, a 28-year-old Pegula made her WTA Finals debut, but didn't impress since she went 0-3 in the group stage. However, the following year, the American tennis star did much better and fell just short of winning the season-ending tournament after losing to Iga Swiatek in the final. Last year - in what marked the inaugural edition of the WTA Finals taking place in Riyadh - the world No. 5 lost her opening two matches before withdrawing from her final match due to an injury.
Before Pegula, the oldest player to make four consecutive WTA Finals appearances was Nathalie Tauziat (1997-2001). The former French tennis player was born in 1967.
Also, the 31-year-old is the oldest American since Martina Navratilova to achieve the feat - the former 18-time Grand Slam champion achieved the feat between 1991 and 1994.
Pegula received a recognition from Navratilova ahead of the WTA Finals
She (Pegula) is a relatively late bloomer, but she changed her game and its paid off. She wants the ball coming onto her racket so she can redirect, kind of like Radwanska. In slow conditions, she has to create her own pace, and in China she was swinging harder at everything -- her serve, her groundstrokes. When the court is slow, she can really whale away," Navratilova told the WTA website when previewing this year's season-ending tournament.
