The WTA Finals has not even begun yet, but there has been controversy during the practice sessions at Indian Wells.

The top eight players have already arrived at Indian Wells for the WTA Finals, which is set to begin on November 8th.

The WTA Tour is broadcasting practice sessions in California and Jessica Pegula has found herself at the centre of controversy after being picked up on a hot mic.

Pegula could be overheard criticising Mirra Andreeva and her coach Conchita Martinez during a practice session at the year-end tournament.

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“I lost respect for her. She’s a good girl, but she needs to mature. I don’t know if it’s because she doesn’t know how to handle it,” said the American about he rival.

“If I were her coach and my player had just played four great games, she’s up 4-0, she gets mad at me and chases me down… I’d tell her not to talk to me like that,” she continued.

Pegula added: “She’s bad… I feel like she needs to be provoked to get fired up and react”.

The clip was swiftly shared to social media and has since gone rival. In response, the WTA Tour have wiped all practise sessions from their websites, so it is clearly something they have been made aware of.

Neither Pegula or Andreeva have commented on the incident since, but it certainly adds a wrinkle to the upcoming WTA Finals.

Pegula and Andreeva are yet to play each other and they have been drawn in opposite groups at the WTA Finals, so they will need to make the knockout rounds for a first time meeting.

Andreeva has been drawn in a group alongside Aryna Sabalenka, Elina Svitolina, and Karolina Muchova, while Pegula will battle it out with Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, and Linda Noskova.

Pegula will play Gauff in her opening match, while Andreeva faces a tough test against Svitolina.

Andreeva is set to make her debut at the WTA Finals this year, while Pegula has played the tournament four times with differing results.

The American has reached the final and semifinal previously, but also been knocked out of the round robin twice in her four appearances at the year-end tournament.

The WTA Finals is set to take place between the 8th and 15th November at Indian Wells, before it moves to its new, permanent location of Charlotte, North Carolina in 2027.

The tournament had been hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the past two seasons, with Gauff and Rybakina lifting the title in 2024 and 2025, respectively.