"He could steal everything in my house" – Gael Monfils, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys & others recall wild & awkward encounters with doping officials

Jessica Pegula, Gael Monfils, Madison Keys, and other tennis players have recalled wild anecdotes of their encounters with doping officials. Monfils revealed that when he was 21, he faced an awkward encounter with a doping official after he returned home from a long night of partying at 5:45 am.

"It’s not that I don’t want to pee. I’ll be honest – I’ve been out. I peed like five minutes ago. I can’t. I woke up at 3pm, the guy was scrolling his phone. [I say] ‘Hey, bro.’ I pee. So he was waiting for me for 10 hours. He could steal everything in my house," said Monfils, via The Guardian.

Keys revealed how she got one strike, stating that doping tests could be stressful.

"We ran to the hotel, packed and got on a plane two hours later and I forgot to update my whereabouts [to say] that I wasn’t going to be in Beijing – I was going to be on a plane. They came the next morning. I remember landing in Linz and immediately sobbing, like: ‘Oh no, I have a strike.’"

Pegula, on the other hand, stated that she was entirely responsible for her process and did not allow anyone else to handle the matter.

"I do it by myself. I just would never want someone else doing that because if they messed up, I’d be livid," said Jessica Pegula

While Pegula recently advanced to the semifinals of the Wuhan Open after besting Katerina Siniakova, Keys has not played since the US Open. Monfils last competed in the Chengdu Open in September.

Jessica Pegula on potentially playing tennis after becoming a mother

On an episode of 'The Player's Box Podcast,' Jessica Pegula opened up about whether she would continue playing tennis after becoming a mother.

"No. There is no chance I would come back after having a kid. I admire and respect the ones that do but that's just not on the cards for me. I cannot see myself doing that at all," said Pegula. (from 11:59)

Keys echoed Pegula's comment, stating that she already faces a hard time traveling and managing her tight schedule, and that adding a baby would make it tougher for her.

Jessica Pegula is engaged to Taylor Gahagen, while Keys got married to her coach, Bjorn Fratangelo, in November 2024.