Jessica Pegula explains why 'choking' is a harsh word to use in sports, calls it a "misconception" of fans who haven't played the game themselves

Jessica Pegula is not a big fan of people using the term 'choking' when describing losses in the context of modern-day sports, opining that it is too "harsh" a word for a phenomenon that is very common.

Speaking at her press conference after her 6-0, 6-1 demolition of Jaqueline Cristian in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open, the American was asked for her thoughts on "choking" and how she would define it.

Pegula was quick to register her dislike for such narratives, revealing that everyone gets nervous at some point, and dismissed its peddling as a "misconception" of fans who themselves haven't played the sport at the highest level.

"Choking? It's very harsh. It's a harsh word. I think everyone kind of does to some extent. I think it's just because you get nervous. I think there is a little bit of a misconception, where I think people usually that haven't played the sport, sitting and watching it's very easy to say, Oh, they're choking, they're choking," Jessica Pegula said. "When really I think it's more of a momentum shift and maybe more nerves and just how you're kind of handling those nerves."

Reminding people that some days were just hard to explain, the World No. 3 noted that a quick momentum shift might be enough for athletes to put extra pressure on themselves, making it hard for them to think clearly. The ensuing panic was what Pegula considered a reason for the eventual "choking," which had nothing to do with how one actually performed on the field.

"Some days there's no rhyme or reason. Some days you can feel like you're a little tense and for some reason you can feel like maybe the momentum is shifting in a match and you're just putting a lot of pressure on yourself to do the right thing," Jessica Pegula said. "I think maybe instead of thinking clearly you're more panicking a little bit instead of trying to think of the big picture."

For instance, the 28-year-old pointed out how it would be easy for her to say a tennis player choked after looking at their matches, when in reality it wouldn't be fair at all, as it could simply be the case that their opponent just didn't put a foot wrong on the night.

"To me it's nerves, I think. It's just nerves. It's just maybe "choking" leans more to you're letting your nerves kind of get the best of you more than you're playing. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's people I think that don't play sports kind of just assume everyone is always choking with a lead."

"As a tennis player, I can call out matches, somebody would be, Oh, yeah, they totally choked. I'm like, Not really. That girl played really well. Completely raised her level and the other person wasn't really doing anything wrong," Jessica Pegula said.

"I was really happy I was first on today" - Jessica Pegula on her nerves ahead of her Australian Open 2023 opener

Jessica Pegula at the 2023 Australian Open

Jessica Pegula touched on her own mental state ahead of her 2023 Australian Open opener, stating that she was "really happy" to be able to play her first match in the first session of the first day of proceedings.

The American admitted that she would have hated having to wait until the second day, knowing that other players were already through to the next round, and would have ended up "freaking out" in practice until then.

"I was really happy I was first on today. I think definitely waiting around at the site for that first round I'm like, Let's just get it over with. If I'm going to be out first round, I would rather know first match than not. I would hate to have to wait last day Tuesday to kind of get through that."

"I think for me it's just like the waiting around, the buildup. I'm usually kind of freaking out in practice a little bit. Everything starts to bother me a little bit more. The strings start to bother me. Like certain courts I start getting very, I think, critical of all these different things going on," Pegula said.