Pegula releases new limited edition NFT trading cards

Jessica Pegula is having an amazing 2021 season and it's only just begun. While the American had her deepest run at a major event when she raced to the Australian Open quarterfinals last month, she's also doing big things beyond the court lines.

At the Miami Open, Pegula announced the launch of limited-edition digital trading cards, known as non-fungible tokens (NFT’s). These tokens have taken off in terms of popularity among sports enthusiasts and investors.

NFT has already infiltrated the world of sports by one-upping the traditional trading-card business. There's no more creased corners, no expensive grading services and, let's face it, the world is a highly digital place. Pegula noticed the trend and that none of the NFT headlines featuring athletes were tennis players.

"It's a really cool different kind of outlet for female athletes, for anybody but especially in tennis to help grow the brand," Pegula told Prakash Amritraj at Tennis Channel's Miami Open desk. "I've seen a lot of football players do it, and got inspired to do it and realized no female athlete has ever done one before. So, we worked really hard to get. it out this week and I'm excited to see where it goes."

Pegula is the first female athlete and the first professional tennis player to release a limited-edition collection of NFT trading cards. Two of the 27-year-old's cards will be limited edition 1 of 1 and the other three will be auctioned as 1 of 3.

For Pegula it's a lot more than just trading cards, it's about setting the tone for other female athletes by leading by example. She wants to inspire other women to grow their brands and capitalize on new opportunities.

"I think in tennis we are always looking to grow the sport for the future," Pegula said. "Tennis has been around for a while and I think sometimes you have to take some chances and maybe do some things a little out of the box for the future of the sport. I'm glad I could be the first person in this kind of realm for women's tennis. I hope it inspires more athletes and more girls to do the same thing."

While Pegula is looking to expand her brand and help other women grow in the NFT space, she's also using the outlet to give back to one of her favorite non-profit organizations, A Lending Paw.

“Because of my love for dogs, I am also going to be using proceeds from the auction to pay for the adoption costs of one dog per card," she said.

The auction on all five limited edition cards has begun and ends on April 7. All winners will not only receive the special NFT card, but will also take home autographed merchandise.

On Monday, 33rd-ranked Pegula fell to Maria Sakkari in three tight sets in the Miami fourth round.