Italian tennis player Jasmine Paolini reflects on her remarkable 2024 season, which saw her reach back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the French Open.
After seven years on the WTA tour, the 28-year-old Italian had never made it past the second round at a grand slam . Then, she made back-to-back finals at Wimbledon and the French Open . “The first thing that was different was that I was seeded, so that helped for sure,” Paolini says. “But you know, I think I grew up in my game, and I was more confident. I was believing more in myself.” Paolini is back in the country where her wonder year began.
She had never won a match at the Australian Open, not even in qualifying, before 2024, but then found herself in the final 16 after victories over Diana Shnaider, Tatjana Maria and Anna Blinkova.Italian world No. 4 Jasmine Paolini. “Of course it was the best year on tour, and an unbelievable year. I have unbelievable memories,” Paolini says. “My favourite maybe was the semi-final in Wimbledon . That was an unbelievable match. The way it ended 7-6 in the third , unbelievable emotion ... but I have many of the last year. I am lucky.”Paolini is a late bloomer compared to the likes of world No.3 Coco Gauff, who won her first slam at 19, and Russia’s Mirra Andreeva, who has risen to No.16 in the world aged just 17. “I think I needed more time than most of the other players,” she says. “I don’t know why, but when I was younger, I wasn’t believing that much that I could play at this level. And I had some difficult moments when I was playing on hard courts, I wasn’t believing that I could play on hard courts.Credit:Then, I think it was a lot of work outside the court, trying to grow up a little bit, and I think at the end of this year it pays off.”Paolini advanced to the women’s doubles final with fellow Italian Sara Errani at the 2024 French Open before winning Olympic gold in Paris two months later. “I think that it’s not a coincidence that last year I started to play better, and I started to play more doubles,” Paolini says.Flavio Brancaleone “I think it helped so much to see the gam
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