Recollection
893 Words
Jessica's POV
December 2022, Napa Valley at Hotel
I stared at the message that came through Messenger on my phone screen, Derek saying goodnight to me, and it warmed my heart.
At this moment, Taylor was asleep on the other side, breathing steadily, while I struggled to fall asleep, my mind filled with many things, causing my emotions to fluctuate. This was unusual for me, as I have always been a calm person with rare emotional ups and downs. Perhaps after this year, going through highs and lows, experiencing everything a year could offer, I feel like I've gone through life and death before even reaching 30.
I am going to meet Derek tomorrow afternoon, and I can't quite describe how I feel. This meeting was his suggestion, and I wasn't prepared for it, at least not to meet so soon. But when his message came through, I could sense his nervousness and his pounding heart from this end of the screen, and I couldn't bear to refuse.
My status is special, so I need to avoid people a bit tomorrow, to avoid being caught by the paparazzi and dealing with unnecessary troubles. Being a public figure, privacy is hard to maintain.
Reflecting on my journey since transitioning to a professional tennis player, I have truly experienced many ups and downs. In the beginning, my performance was poor for the first few years, and I spent about two years nursing injuries, feeling the discomfort of being plagued by injuries. I didn't know when I would recover and play again, and the recovery training was particularly tough. Sometimes it felt like I couldn't run or jump at all.
But fortunately, I persevered.
It was during that period of injury that I couldn't sit still, so I started my own skincare brand, Ready 24, selling skincare products. Having this business project made my life a little better.
As I recovered from my injuries, my tennis performance was still lacking, with a ranking outside the top 100, just playing without seeing the end.
It wasn't until I started working with coach David Witt that things began to change for the better, and I realized looking back that I had been quite foolish in my approach to tennis, just hitting without using my brain, playing blindly.
Everything seemed to be slowly falling into place, including my love life. During this time, I married Taylor, with whom I had been in a relationship for 6 years. We had planned to marry earlier, but the pandemic disrupted our plans. Nevertheless, we tied the knot, and since Pegula is my family name, I chose not to take his surname, which I am proud of.
Looking back on this journey, Taylor has been by my side, through the highs and lows, and he truly loves me. I feel quite fortunate.
However, in June, an unexpected event occurred. While I was competing in tournaments, my mother suffered a cardiac arrest. Thanks to my sister being with her and calling 911, the ambulance arrived in time and saved my mother's life.
This disrupted my plans, and I had considered giving up the French Open and Wimbledon in June to go home and be with my mom during this difficult time. However, my mom expressed her desire to see me play, so I gritted my teeth and participated in the tournament. Throughout this period, Taylor was by my side, and I genuinely feel lucky to have met him, as he often expresses the same sentiment, saying that meeting me was his fortune.
With the help of medical staff, my mother gradually started to recover, although not ideal, she was much better. I returned to competing in tournaments, with my mind still on my mom. At the end of the year, I made it to the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam events and reached a career-high ranking of third in the world. I also won my second WTA Tour title, a significant WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara, which made me very happy!
Thinking about the myriad experiences on this journey makes it hard for me to fall asleep, with a whirlwind of emotions in my heart.
Then there's Derek, a very handsome, warm, and thoughtful man.
I can feel his infatuation with me, which scares me, it's natural, but I can't seem to let go.
I'm not sure if agreeing to meet him was the right decision.
I remember the day I saw a message from him on IG, asking if I needed a coach. It immediately caught my attention, and I jokingly asked him about his qualifications, told him to send me a resume, and gave him an email address. Surprisingly, he actually sent me an email, but it wasn't his resume; it was some short stories he had written. After chatting a few times and getting to know each other better, he sent me a 6000 word self-introduction, detailing his background and upbringing. After reading those 6000 words, my eyes were tired, and I truly admired him. So, we started chatting more frequently.
And now, I've agreed to meet him. Tomorrow will be our first meeting, privately away from fans. It's the first time for me, and I feel a mix of nervousness and excitement. I wonder how it will turn out.
Time to sleep now. Let's leave tomorrow's events for tomorrow.
- Writer
