Two consecutive Slam finals lost have interrupted the dream of Jasmine Paolini. The defeats at Roland Garros and today’s one at Wimbledon could be a hard blow in the career of a tennis player, but, if the Italian faces the future with the smile shown also at the end of the match lost against Barbora Krejcikova, in the future the Slam victory will arrive.
Two finals in two Majors cannot be a coincidence: the feats accomplished in the last months cannot erase all the good things done this year. Jasmine’s smile lit up the two weeks in London and made the demanding crowd of the Centre Court fall in love. A crowd of experts and refined palates, not just any people, who supported her from the beginning to the end of the tournament.
Jasmine Paolini© Clive Brunskill / Staff Getty Images Sport
“Thank you for coming, seeing this stadium full is a dream come true. Congratulations to Barbora. You played very beautiful tennis, I congratulate you and your entire team. I am proud of what I have done. The last few months have been crazy, I thank my family and my team. Without them I would not be here, they always believe in me. In these two fantastic weeks I have received a lot of support and it is beautiful to feel the affection of the crowd. I am a little sad, but I try to keep smiling. I must remember that this is still an incredible day, because I played a final at Wimbledon. I was rooting for Roger Federer and I watched all his matches in this tournament. I am a little sad, but I try to keep smiling,” she said in the on-court interview.
The first Italian player to step onto the most famous lawn in the world in the final of the Championships lost the second consecutive final in a Major, but as always she gave everything she had. It is with this smile that Paolini will have to look to the future and continue to cultivate her great dream. Krejcikova will now be able to dedicate this splendid success to her dear former coach Jana Novotna, who sadly passed away in 2017.
Jasmine Paolini© Clive Brunskill / Staff Getty Images Sport
“At the moment I try not to put pressure on myself, I’m enjoying the level I’m playing at and the matches I’m playing.
It was a very balanced match. I wish I had started. But she played very well, she put a lot of first serves at the beginning. The other final in Paris was tough and I accepted the defeat better because it was really complicated.
Today maybe it’s a little harder to digest, I started badly. But in the end it went like this, she played very well and served very well for all the key moments of the match. Paris Olympic Games 2024? It’s a competition that all athletes dream of, because it comes every four years. I hope to play good tennis. I’ll take a few days off now, but then we’ll train on clay to try to be ready. Let’s see what comes, I’ll try to give my best because it’s an important goal. I’ll give it my all. Let’s hope they go well,” she added.