The US Open’s new partnership with prediction market company Kalshi has raised questions, including from Jessica Pegula. After her second-round win, the World No. 3 offered a balanced view of the deal and the growing presence of betting-related companies in tennis.
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“Yeah, that’s been a conversation going on for a bit. Players can’t do anything with a betting-type sponsorship, but tournaments profit from a lot of that stuff. It’s a tricky question because we get a lot of negativity from bettors, whether we win or lose. It doesn’t even matter sometimes,” Pegula said in her press conference.
“We get a lot of hate for it on social media. So, it’s tough when you see that, and then they’re a big sponsor behind the court or on TV. Betting is a big part of keeping fans engaged, so I go back and forth on it. But it is interesting that you’re starting to see it creep more and more into tennis.”
The Kalshi partnership has raised questions about a possible double standard. Players face strict restrictions on betting-related sponsorships, while tournaments can profit from similar deals. Although Kalshi is not a traditional sportsbook, it allows users to wager on real-world outcomes through “yes” or “no” contracts.
The bigger concern, however, is bettor abuse. Players are regularly targeted after losses, and studies, along with findings from the WTA’s new Threat Matrix, show that frustrated bettors are responsible for a significant share of the online abuse they receive.
Pegula has previously addressed bettor abuse by sharing some of the messages she has received. After losing to Lois Boisson at last year’s French Open, she posted messages reportedly sent by frustrated bettors and described them as “delusional” and “insane.”
While Pegula has often called out the people targeting her with online abuse, her compatriot, Coco Gauff, has gone another way in terms of dealing with angry bettor abuse.
The American takes it in her stride and uses the negative comments to motivate her to improve her performance. After her close loss to Karolina Muchova at Wimbledon this year, the American casually joked about how she would tag the angry bettors when she won her next title, the same ones who had not wasted any time in sending her hateful messages after her SW19 loss.
Kalshi’s US Open partnership may be new at the Grand Slam level, but betting companies have been involved in tennis for years, with Betfair previously partnering with the ATP. While Pegula acknowledged that betting is becoming more visible in the sport, the World No. 3 has remained focused on her performance at the US Open.
The World No.3 started her campaign a bit shaky against Elena Gabriela Ruse in the first round, working her way past the Romanian in a 6-3, 6-2 win, but was at her absolute best against compatriot Sofia Kenin in the second round, winning 6-3, 6-1 against the former Australian Open champion. Pegula will have a trickier challenge in the next round as she is set to face 31st-seeded Leylah Fernandez.