Ever since her mother’s cardiac arrest, Jessica Pegula has believed that you never know what will happen next. But her dream board has always included becoming one of the best tennis players in the world with Olympic gold, Grand Slams, and every major title. One thing that was not on that list, however, was retirement. But things changed at the beginning of this decade.

Inheriting her business acumen from her parents, “the richest tennis player in the world” launched her own skincare brand named ‘Ready 24.’ And last year, when she was confronted with the possibility of walking into the sunset, she revealed that she has a date in mind. Months later, she is exploring what exactly she would be doing once that day becomes a reality.

“I can’t say that wouldn’t be exciting if I got to help out with the organization one day,” Pegula said in a CNBC Sport interview on Wednesday. “I always thought that I wanted to be in the sporting world when I was done with tennis.”

Pegula’s billionaire father, Terry Pegula, owns the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills today, which Jessica is the heir apparent to. Understanding how the sports business has evolved over the last few decades, the tennis star’s decision makes much sense.

Making his fortune in the oil and gas industry, Terry sold off his company’s assets for over $4 billion in 2010 to acquire the sports teams. So far, they’ve already made big returns on his investments.

He first purchased the NHL’s Sabres for $165 million in 2011. Then, he invested $1.4 billion in the Bills in 2014 after previous owner Ralph Wilson’s demise to keep the franchise in Western New York. With sports valuations skyrocketing, the two teams now stand at $1.42 billion and $8.5 billion, respectively, according to CNBC. Now, while both teams are struggling in performance, the monetary growth is not lost on Jessica. If anything, she will only be doing what everyone in her family is already doing or has done so far.

Pegula explains her heritage, but it’s not just the business itself

Pegula is not the only one who would be joining the company business if she indeed made the switch after retirement. Her mother, Kim Pegula, was the CEO and President of the Pegula Sports and Entertainment banner, making her the first female president for an NFL franchise. However, a cardiac arrest in 2022 saw her move away from her duties as she had to take care of her health.

Pegula’s husband, Taylor Galaghan, was in the business as well, working in the corporate marketing department. He was a senior director of the Sabres, a role he later moved on from. It is worth noting that Terry Pegula did sell a minority non-controlling stake in the Bills in December 2024 after the NFL approved the sale to Rochester’s Rob Ward and Rob Palumbo.

But Jessica still wishes to keep the majority of the family business in the family.

“I think my dad, I’m sure, would love to keep it in the family,” she added. “I think we learned that after what happened with my mom, that you never know what’s going to happen.”

While Pegula has expressed her desire to work in the family business after retirement, the American has not set an exact timeline for her leaving the sport, as the World No. 3 still aims for the biggest prizes in tennis.

Jessica Pegula shares her possible retirement timeline

When it’s not broken, it doesn’t need saving. That’s exactly what Pegula’s approach to retirement could be taken as. However, while she did not commit to a set timeline, saying it was more of a spontaneous decision, she did drop a possible year.

“Five years? Wow, that seems like an eternity. I don’t even know if I’ll be playing in five years,” said Pegula in a WTA interview last year. “Five years is a long time. I prefer to take it step by step, according to my physical and mental state.

“Definitely not. I think that’s where I for sure have to stop. I think it would be cool to try and make the Olympics ’cause it’s in LA in a couple years. I’m counting it, technically, like two years because then you qualify, so I’ll probably have an idea by then if I’m in or not.”

Pegula has been the most consistent player on the WTA in recent years. The American has reached twenty Tour-level finals in the last four seasons, winning nine titles during this period. Although she has tasted success at every level of the sport so far, including four WTA 1000 titles, the Grand Slams remain a dream she has yet to realize.

While her consistency on the court is commendable, Pegula is also quite active off the court, tackling the various issues in the sport. She is a member of three councils in the sport, including the new Grand Slam player council, which aims to make conversations between players and the Grand Slams smoother regarding revenue sharing, prize money, and scheduling.

In the past, Pegula had a quarterfinal barrier she could not move past at the Majors. Between 2021 and 2023, she reached six Grand Slam quarterfinals, losing all of them. Her breakthrough came at the 2024 US Open, where she reached the final, and since then has made consecutive semifinal appearances in New York over the last two seasons, only for her run to end at the hands of Aryna Sabalenka each time.

For now, she will be aiming to find another title to add to her resume. But what’s certain is that whenever she does retire, she will have a shining career to look back on.