Italian fourth seed keen to carry momentum from Rome trophy double
©Loïc Wacziak / FFTTime to bask in glory is a luxury rarely afforded at any stop on tour, a predicament common to all title winners, including recent Rome champion Jasmine Paolini.
Such is the pace of life on tour that the next event typically rolls around days later – with flights to catch, hotels to reach before the return to practice and media commitments kick off again.
Paolini, while yet to experience the spoils of a Grand Slam title, captured the most significant trophy double of her career last week, becoming the first Italian woman to win singles and doubles in Rome since Raffaella Reggi in 1985 and the first woman to scoop the two there since Monica Seles in 1990.
Following her Australian Open breakthrough in January, Madison Keys rued the lack of time to soak up what she had achieved before having to shift focus to her next tournament.
After her triumphant WTA 1000 run on home soil, however, Paolini preferred to keep the ball rolling rather than become too caught up in what she had achieved.
©Corinne Dubreuil / FFT“I don't know. I think we are used to it, and tennis is like that. Maybe yes, but at the same time, I'm happy to be back competing. I like to compete,” Paolini said.
“So it's nice to have another tournament, another chance. It's always, you know, a good thing and a bad thing at the same time. You know, if you lose, you have another chance. If you win, maybe you need more time to enjoy, but I think it's nice to have tournaments and chances to go back on court.”
Questions were posed to the 29-year-old the moment the new season ticked over as to how she would back up her watershed 2024.
Following Italy’s defeat in the Billie Jean King Cup final at the end of 2023, Paolini had pondered, “maybe one day we can win this title”.
A year later, Italy had indeed landed the team trophy, which capped a year in which the Italian also became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to make major finals at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in the same season.
Paolini held a meagre 4-16 record in singles at the majors before last year but ended with an 18-4 mark for 2024 alone.
No Italian woman has claimed more Grand Slam match wins in a year. She also won Olympic gold in Paris alongside her Rome-winning doubles partner, Sara Errani.
©Nicolas Gouhier / FFTSeeded fourth in her return to Paris, where she finished runner-up to Iga Swiatek last time round, Paolini believes she has grown as a player.
“I think yes. Last year I did many experiences that help me a lot,” she said. “I grew up a lot, I think, but as I say always, every tournament is different. You can play bad; you can play well. It can change a lot.
“I think last year it gave me so much confidence that I don't have to forget about it, but I have to keep with myself to try to step on court this year here or in every tournament, you know, with this experience, and trying to bring this confidence. But the same time, I know it's not easy to confirm yourself every tournament.”
Ahead of the Rome decider, in which she denied Coco Gauff, Paolini said it was important she drew on her experience of last season as she attempted to back it up again this year.
She passed her biggest home-ground test with vigour. Next up, Roland-Garros and a first-round meeting with China’s Yuan Yue.
The Tuscan is no longer a Grand Slam outsider.
“This year is another year. It's different, completely different story,” she said. “At the same time trying to repeat to myself, ‘Look, remember that last year we did an amazing year’.”
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
