Billionaire Wimbledon star banks another £120k days before Grand Slam

Billionaire Wimbledon star Jessica Pegula has banked just over £120,000 after defeating Iga Swiatek in the final of Bad Homburg on Saturday. The American overcame the four-time French Open champion 6-4, 7-5 in Germany.

Pegula's father Terry made his money in the oil and gas industry and has a net worth of around £6billion. He founded East Resources before selling the company to Shell in 2010 and has continued to see his wealth rise in recent years. The Pegula family now owns NFL team Buffalo Bulls, NHL side Buffalo Sabres and National Lacrosse League outfit Buffalo Bandits.

Pegula, who pulled out of Queen's days before the tournament began, has earned around £13.5million throughout her tennis career, despite the fact she has never won a Grand Slam.

The 31-year-old is ranked at No. 3 in the world, with her best performance at a Major coming last September when she reached the US Open final, before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.

She has been seeded third at Wimbledon and will face unseeded Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto in her opening match. But she could be in for a tricky Grand Slam as she has only progressed beyond the second round of Wimbledon on two occasions in the past.

To be the first to receive the latest Wimbledon news, join our WhatsApp community or Wimbledon newsletter

Pegula's best performance at SW19 came in 2023 when she reached the quarter-finals before bowing out to eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova.

Last year, the blockbuster star was only able to win one match in the capital before suffering a surprise defeat at the hands of Wang Xinyu. The American will go into this year's tournament with bags of confidence, however, after toppling Swiatek in Germany.

Pegula got the upper hand early on against her Polish opponent and won all 13 of her service games to see the match out.

And after the clash, she told Swiatek in her on-court interview: "I know you say you can't play on grass but you are very, very good on grass. It was a special week."

Pegula hit the headlines earlier this week after refusing to stay in the same hotel as her Wimbledon rivals. And discussing her decision, she said: "We're either on the court, or we're in the hotel room.

"It's such a big part of our lives and, as I've gotten older, a good hotel has become more of a priority.

"When you're 20 and you're just starting to travel, you're not complaining that much - you're more out there grinding and embracing life on Tour. Once you hit 30 and kind of need a better pillow, that stuff honestly becomes really important."