JESSICA PEGULA reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time in 2023 after defeating Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko.
While many Wimbledon fans have been entranced by the American tennis star’s skills on the court during the annual tournament, others have been intrigued by her star-studded, and sports-fanatic, family – especially her successful parents.
Who is Jessica Pegula?
Jessica Pegula is a sports star who has been dubbed “the world’s richest tennis player”.
The American No1 is ranked fourth in the world, of July 2023,
As well as her sporting achievements, Jessica runs a successful skincare company called Ready24.
In 2021, Pegula married Taylor Gahagen, a corporate executive for Pegula Sports and Entertainment.
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Who is Jessica Pegula’s dad Terry Pegula?
Jessica’s dad is Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula.
In 2014 he triumphed over rival bids from Donald Trump and a consortium led by Bon Jovi to buy the NFL giants for $1.2bn.
Terry is also a petroleum engineer.
He was born in Carbondale, Pennsylvania in 1951, and attended Penn State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering.
He met his wife Kim while she was a waitress at a restaurant.
In 1991, Terry offered Kim a job at his natural gas company and in 1993 they got married.
The couple now work together at their company, Pegula Sports and Entertainment.
How did Terry Pegula get rich?
Terry made his fortune from natural gas development.
He first worked as a petroleum engineer for Getty Oil, before setting up his own company called East Resources in 1983 with a $6,000 loan from his family, drilling for oil and then selling off the business in two parts for a combined $5.2bn.
The Pegulas set up their sports and entertainment group – with matriarch Kim being installed as CEO and president – in 2011.
What is Terry Pegula’s net worth?
As of 2023, Terry is thought to have a net worth of over $4billion.
This equates to roughly £3.23bn.
He was once the 255th richest person in the world.
Jessica’s family wealth, combined with her prize earnings, makes her richer than the worth of retired tennis icons Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova combined.
Who is Kim Pegula?
Terry’s wife Kim is the co-owner, president, and CEO of the Buffalo Bills – the first woman in NFL history to hold these positions.
She was born in Seoul, South Korea, but moved to Fairport, New York, when she was five after being adopted by an American family.
Kim’s net worth is $100million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
In June 2022 she suffered a cardiac arrest.
Her daughter Jessica wrote an emotional Players’ Tribune essay in February 2023 about her recovery.
In the piece, Jessica detailed her mum’s “significant expressive aphasia and memory issues” and added “where she ends up is still unknown”.
Who are Jessica Pegula’s siblings?
Jessica has four siblings.
Her mother Kim shares children Jessica, Kelly and Matthew with Terry, while Terry also has a son, Michael, and daughter, Laura, from his first marriage.
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Terry’s first wife’s name is Anne Shirley.
The exact date of their wedding is unknown, but they were reportedly childhood sweethearts.