Jessica Pegula's private-seeming chat with coach Mark Knowles turned out to be live on the WTA Tour's YouTube channel.
The WTA apologized Thursday for not clearly warning players and coaches that practice-session livestream microphones were live at Indian Wells. The slip surfaced after a hot mic caught Jessica Pegula calling Mirra Andreeva a "diva" during what she and coach Mark Knowles believed was a private conversation.
According to The Athletic, the session was actually being streamed on the WTA Tour's YouTube channel. In the exchange, Pegula said she had "lost a little respect" for Conchita Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion who now coaches Andreeva, accusing her of poking at Andreeva and egging on her behavior. "I think she's a nice girl; she's just a diva. She needs to be humbled," Pegula said of the 19-year-old French Open champion.
The WTA's apology addressed the organization's failure to inform participants that the courts were mic'd up, rather than the content of Pegula's comments themselves. The episode has drawn attention to how much locker-room candor gets picked up once cameras and microphones are rolling at tour events.