Jasmine Paolini surprised the tennis world with her rise and made it a little happier. What is behind your great year of tennis – and is your success sustainable?
Text: Florian Goosmann, Stefano Semeraro
There is less and less of the elegant British restraint of earlier years at Wimbledon. When the spectators on Center Court have fallen in love with someone (and have had enough bubbly and Pimm’s), the affection is almost limitless. Roger Federer knows that. Carlos Alcaraz knows that. And as of this year, Jasmine Paolini also knows it.
The longest, for some the best Wimbledon semi-final ever between her and Donna Vekic lasted two hours and 52 minutes, and the discrepancy could hardly have been greater. On the one hand, the Italian Paolini, who fought, anticipated, whirled and scored spectacularly. On the other hand, the cool Croatian, full of pain and with tears in her eyes even before the end of the match. Vekic wanted this victory so much that you almost felt sorry when the audience cheered much more enthusiastically for Paolini. Because Vekic did nothing wrong – but she seemed to be playing against windmills. Against someone to whom hearts fly effortlessly.
Lots of positive vibes
Jasmine Paolini has this magic, this positive power, even in critical phases. Like in the match against Vekic, in which she was behind for a long time. Others then throw the bat and rage against their team. But Paolini is reminiscent of Carlos Alcaraz, the gentleman’s good-mood counterpart: she shakes her fist, spreads positive vibes and laughs, even when something goes wrong. “I try to laugh a lot. If I don’t do that, it means I don’t feel good,” she says. “My coach is always worried if I don’t laugh in training or in a match. He knows it’s important to me. And I’m glad that I am like that.”
Strong finish: After the WTA finals, Jasmine Paolini won the Billie Jean King Cup with Italy. ©Imago
This year Paolini had many reasons to laugh. She is currently playing the tennis of her life, at the age of 28. This comes as a surprise. Paolini wasn’t someone who was on the list for the world’s best, even a few months ago. In the junior women’s division, 70th place was the highest of feelings; among adults, she only managed to break into the top 100 at the beginning of 2020. She started the year 2024 in 29th place. The fact that she would finish as number 4 in the world was garnished with one 1000 title in Dubai, as a finalist at the French Open and Wimbledon, as a double Olympic champion and the decisive woman in Italy’s victory at the Billie Jean King Cup: For this bet you would have won more than you could spend on a summer trip to Tuscany.
Jasmine Paolini: Lots of bite, emotions and an engaging laugh
Paolini was born there in the community of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, almost 80 kilometers northeast of Florence. Dad Ugo is Italian, mom Jaqueline has Polish and Ghanaian roots. At the age of five, thanks to her father and her tennis-loving uncle, she was on the court for the first time at the nearby Mirafiume Tennis Club in Bagni di Lucca. And Paolini, as Mama Jaqueline remembers (and how could you think otherwise): had a lot of fun. Jaqueline says she’s just like her: a strong character with a lot of bite and emotions. Why does she win people over like she did at Wimbledon? Jasmine’s laughter is the reason. It’s better to watch happy people playing tennis than sad people. Especially if they are committed to the matter. “When Jasmine wants to achieve something, she gives everything for it,” says dad Ugo.
Paolini once lacked great faith. As a child, she says, she enjoyed tennis without dreaming much. Even at the beginning of her professional career, she didn’t think about ever becoming number one in the world or winning a Grand Slam tournament. “I hoped so, but didn’t believe in it. I dreamed of more obvious things.” She now views this approach critically: “That wasn’t good. Dreaming is important.” Paolini is surprised to see interviews from Novak Djokovic or compatriot Jannik Sinner from their childhood, in which both talk about wanting to conquer the top of the world rankings. “I guess I’m a different type of person.”
Jasmine Paolini: Change of heart in summer 2023
For a long time, even as a professional, Paolini lacked the self-confidence to be able to play at the top and win against top players. That has changed. She dates her change of heart to the summer of 2023. That’s when she started playing more consistently. It was a process, not a sudden switch. “Now I go onto the pitch and say to myself: ‘Okay, this is going to be difficult, but I have a chance.’ I used to think that I couldn’t win such matches. That it takes a miracle.” A sticking point for her run this year: At the 1000 tournament in Dubai, she was down 4:6, 2:4 and 15:40 in the opening match against Beatriz Haddad Maia – and won sensationally in the end the tournament. By reaching the final in Roland-Garros, which she lost to top player Iga Swiatek, she cracked the top 10. After the Wimbledon final she was in fifth place. Paolini also had her doubts on grass. This year, however, she played herself into a frenzy.
Bella Italia: At Olympia in Paris with Jasmine Paolini Gold in Damendoppel with Sara Errani. ©Imago
Evil tongues joked: No wonder – the deep ball bounce on grass suits Paolini at 1.63 meters tall. Where others have to kneel low, she hits the ball nicely at hip height. Might be. On the other hand, Paolini lacks the angle when serving. Together with Daria Kasatkina, she wins the fewest points after the first service of the top 20. Paolini takes it calmly. “Of course I would like to be taller because then I could serve better. But I have accepted that I am small. We don’t make a problem of it, but try to improve the serve in other aspects.” Paolini has other strengths anyway. She moves quickly (even if she doesn’t like to run, as she once said), she anticipates well and plays aggressively by nature. She has to. In today’s tennis, it’s no longer enough for players with small heights to dig everything. They would be pushed away. “Because I’m small, I can’t stand too far behind the baseline,” says Paolini. “I have to stay offensive.”
Serve with a height of only 1.63 meters
There is one name in particular behind Paolini’s rise: Renzo Furlan. The Italian, a notorious clay court digger in the 1990s and world number 19, has supported them since 2015. At the time, Furlan was under contract with the Serbian association and only occasionally traveled with Paolini. The two have been in a sporting relationship since 2020. Coach Furlan identifies three qualities for the unlimited development of tennis players: technique, athleticism and motivation. Three direct hits for Paolini. “Jasmine was already technically strong, although she had to learn to vary her game more. Physically she was remarkably good – petite but resilient and explosive. And she was highly motivated.” However, her game was tactically adjusted. She has always played very quickly, says Furlan, but usually moves parallel to the baseline. She had to learn to move into the court depending on the speed and spin of the opponent’s balls.
Powerhouse: The 1.63 meter woman was not expected at Wimbledon. Then she made it to the final. ©Imago
Paolini and Furlan are supported by Danilo Pizzorno, video analyst for the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation. “He has an incredible knowledge of technology,” praises Furlan. Paolini always assumed that speed was the secret to winning points. That’s why she often went overboard. The long forehand in particular was worked on because it used to play too flat. The balls ended up deep in the net or too short in the field. Pizzorno showed her how you can hit great winning shots with a lot of spin, but with less risk. The range has also been expanded when it comes to serves: Paolini can serve with a slice or kick and just as flat when she goes for a (rare) ace. Fitness coach Andrea Bracaglia, with whom she has been working since spring 2023, has taken her physically to a higher level.
Another familiar face in Paolini’s box is Sara Errani. The former world number 5, French Open finalist in 2012 and five-time Grand Slam doubles champion, is now closely linked to Paolini. Errani had chosen Paolini as her partner to compete in the Olympic Games in Paris. Paolini took action immediately, reports Furlan, despite a certain fear of double play. She didn’t know how to really act. Errani helped her, thanks to her she improved her serve, return and overall net game. “I feel much more relaxed at the net now,” says Paolini.
Learn singles tactics through doubles
And further: “Sara helps me a lot, the doubles with her help me a lot. I ask her a lot and see how she reads and understands the game. She plays more tactically than I do, and probably smarter too. Playing doubles with her helps me understand tennis.” Errani’s Olympic plan worked: the two won Olympic gold in Paris and the Billie Jean King Cup at the end of the season. “I also improved in singles through doubles,” says Paolini. Paolini’s willingness to learn is her best quality, says Renzo Furlan. “When she feels what can help her, she invests a lot of time and absorbs as much as she can.” Added to this is her sunny, happy, energetic nature. “When she shoots a forehand into the prairie, she doesn’t get angry or throw it Racket. She’s the first to laugh about it. And this laugh is worth a lot.” Of course, she also has difficult moments. “But Jasmine is always the way you experience her. She is successful because she doesn’t pretend like others do.”
Will Paolini be able to remain among the absolute best in the world over the long term? Did everything just come together this year? And whether the chance of a Grand Slam title will come again or whether the Wimbledon final against Barbora Krejcikova was the big chance for it? Some people ask that. Because this one outstanding superpower – the power of Aryna Sabalenka, the intensity of Iga Swiatek or the athleticism of Coco Gauff: Paolini is missing that. Her ease, her smile, her energy carried her far. Will she be able to maintain all of this when the first setbacks and doubts arise? One may wish her so. Because Jasmine Paolini and her enjoyment of the game: It’s incredibly good for tennis.
