Jasmine Paolini: A top-five talent and self-declared late bloomer thriving at the highest level

by Alex Sharp

In pretty much every week last season Jasmine Paolini achieved “something impossible” with an infectious smile and a spring in her step.

The Top 5 talent is a self-declared late bloomer. It all clicked in an “unbelievable” 2024, with ‘belief’ being the buzzword.

What the 29-year-old achieved on the Grand Slam stage last year was nothing short of miraculous. Prior to heading Down Under, Paolini had never been beyond the second round of any major in 16 previous main draw attempts. At the Australian Open she burst into the second week without dropping a set. Anna Kalinskaya ended that run, 6-4, 6-2, in the Last 16—that duo would be reunited in the UAE very soon.

Next major and Paolini flourished on the terre battue of Roland-Garros for a career-best Grand Slam run. The Italian pocket rocket battled into both the singles and doubles finals.

Jasmine Paolini in action in the women’s singles final at the 2024 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

In the singles draw, seeded No.12, she navigated past US Open 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0, in the third round. Another extended rumble in the quarterfinals saw Paolini edge No.4 seed Elena Rybakina, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, before dismissing teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva, 6-3, 6-1.

The third Italian woman to reach the Roland-Garros singles final ended up holding the runner-up silver plate due to Iga Swiatek’s all-conquering clay skillset in a 6-2, 6-1 final.

Even so, Paolini was still brimming with pride, lighting up Court Philippe-Chatrier with a beaming smile.

“Everyone takes their own steps, own story. I now step on court believing that I can win the match. That I think makes all the difference,” she said in Paris, reflecting on her major lift off.

“When you are not confident, it’s a little bit more complicated in tennis I think because it’s a really mental sport.

“I don’t think there was a special moment when it changed. I think it was like a process. I lost all the matches, more or less, against the top players, but I was getting closer. Now with more matches, let’s say, in my pocket, I feel more confidence in my game, in myself.”

Unlocking such a Grand Slam achievement is fairly late in the day at 28-years-old, but Paolini is more than happy to have progressed at her own pace.

See You On Court: Get your tickets for WTA week at the 2025 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

“I started to play tennis when I was five, and I fell in love with the sport,” stated Paolini. “It’s a long journey. I was not dreaming too much. I was just enjoying playing tennis.

“It’s unbelievable to see Jannik [Sinner] when he was 15-years-old say that his dream was to be No.1, and for me it’s something different. I never dreamed to be in a Grand Slam final, and I’m here. I’m so happy, but it’s something different. I’m a different kind of person I think.”

Tathiana Garbin, Paolini’s long-standing Billie Jean King Cup captain in national colours, has helped install patience, a long-term view and serenity in Italy’s leading light.

“I’m so impressed,” said Garbin at Roland-Garros. “I like the way she talks, we don’t dream big, but we dream little by little. My mantra is to achieve ‘step by step.’

“Sometimes you want too much, especially in the modern world, now. I tell them this isn’t Amazon, you can’t click and order wins and Grand Slams. You have to push in every single day.”

Paolini continued to push every single day over at The All England Club, to back up her Paris success with another historic journey. Her radiant, sunshine persona shone through again and her tennis matched it all fortnight long.

The blockbuster 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 [10-8] victory versus Donna Vekic was the longest women’s semi-final in Wimbledon history, at two hours and 51 minutes. Into another Championship weekend, Barbora Krejcikova ended the dream in a seesaw 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 final.

In doing so, Paolini became the first woman to reach back-to-back Roland-Garros and Wimbledon finals since Serena Williams in 2016 and the first Italian WTA star to reach the final at two different majors in the Open Era.

Back to the start and working with long-term coach Renzo Furlan, training on the Tuscany coast in Italy, they’ve chipped away at building Paolini into a formidable force. A height of 5’4″ hasn’t hindered Paolini’s power, with exceptional timing and airborne ability. She’s rock solid, can arch the serve, has supreme agility, and transitions forward using her doubles prowess.

From a WTA debut in Bastad, Sweden, back in 2017, a first Grand Slam victory came at Roland-Garros 2020. The next season Paolini lifted her maiden WTA silverware in Portoroz, Slovenia. She featured in a full set of majors for the first time in 2021; the Italian just needed more time to feel and compete like an elite player.

There was even more development in 2024, as Paolini qualified for the WTA Finals in both singles and doubles, she broke the Top 10 for the very first time and took home an Olympic gold medal in doubles alongside close friend and mentor Sara Errani at the Paris Olympic Games. On top of that came green, white and red greatness, Paolini was the figurehead to guide Italy to Billie Jean King Cup glory. Before all this success and the historic Grand Slam moves in Paris and south-west London last year, a trip to Dubai had boosted Paolini’s belief of belonging at the top table.

Winning her first WTA 1000 silverware maintained the momentum from the Australian Open, providing a significant stepping stone for a career-defining season.

Paolini fended off inspired qualifier Kalinskaya, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, avenging the Melbourne defeat, to join another exclusive club.

The third Italian to do so, only Flavia Pennetta and Camila Giorgi had previously captured a WTA 1000 trophy.

“It’s unbelievable. I still have to realise what I’ve done,” said a stunned Paolini in Dubai. “Yeah, it’s special to have this trophy in my hands. Was such a great tournament. Every player was here. Yeah, was really, really tough draw. I’m just happy.”

Paolini’s pride is centred on her composure on court, the mental fortitude displayed in Dubai was the perfect platform for believing at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.

Watch: Jasmine Paolini reacts to winning the 2024 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

“I think I’m proud of all the work I made this year. It’s not easy to bring this work on the match sometimes,” added Paolini during her post-final press conference.

“I’m playing good tennis. I played well at the end of the last season. I started well the season with second week in Australian Open… It’s not going to be every week like this, of course, but I’m trying to do my best. I’m proud of this.”

At the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Paolini proved she is a major player, at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon she proved she is a major contender.

It’s going to take quite the effort replicating such a milestone 2024, but as the tennis world discovered, Paolini is more than capable going back-to-back at the very highest level.