The Nitto ATP Finals in Turin they don't just mean men's tennis and entertainment on the court, but also a real celebration of tennis and sport off the court. This is demonstrated by the presence in front of an enthusiastic crowd of Jasmine Paolini at the stand Isybank Of Intesa Sanpaolo in the fan village. An opportunity that allowed the world no.4 to meet the fans, but also and above all to release interesting statements for the press present. Both himself at the Isybank stand and at the director's microphones Ubaldo Scanagatta e di Massimo Caputi per RTL 102.5 at the Intesa Sanpaolo lounge in the heart ofInalpi Arena.
Below we report the exchange between Paolini and Ubaldo.
D: “Schiavone was number 4 in the world and everyone said that now Paolini has done the same as her… But Sinner also says that it doesn't matter to be number 1 in June, but it matters to be number 1 at the end of the year“
Paolini: “Ah, if Sinner said it, we believe it, we take it at face value. I definitely think it was the result of all the continuity I had during the season. Francesca won Roland Garros, I made it to the final: So it's a little different. What I can say is that when I was a child I saw Pennetta, Schiavone, Errani, Vinci doing these numbers, I thought it was something huge. Now finding myself there, it's a little different: I still have to get it right. Seen as children, from the outside, it seems much bigger”
D: “Who impressed you the most among the top three? Who can be bypassed?“
Paolini: “The one who has me Gauff, with whom I trained a lot, was very impressed lately. For me he has an unusual weight on the ball, and in fact he played very well for part of the season“
D: “More than Sabalenka?“
Paolini: “Yes, honestly yes. I didn't think so, maybe it's the type of game that bothers me the most, I don't know, but for me it has a significant ball weight”
D: “How did it affect you to see that the doubles was won by a pair with whom you had match points?“
Paolini: “Finger in the wound…It was tough to digest. Sincerely they played well, it was a balanced match. The regret is more about the second matchwhat we lost with Chan and Kudermetova. There was only one matchpoint, a strong serve to the body on Sara. Unfortunately the double between the clear point at 40 all and the match tiebreak is tough“
D: “What would you choose between the title in Dubai and the Wimbledon final? In my opinion there is no comparison“
Paolini: “Better than the Wimbledon final? Yes, the two weeks of Wimbledon perhaps they had added value compared to the others. I still have the game a little herebut honestly it was an incredible experience. It's the tournament of tournaments“
D: “A future on the bench for Sara Errani? Would you see it well in your garage, permanently?“
Paolini: “In my opinion she would be very good. Every now and then he's already in my box: he gives me a hand, advice”
Below we have the statements reported at the Isybank stand from n.4 in the world.
“It was a great year, with many firsts, many satisfactions on the pitch, a crazy year that I honestly didn't imagine. I've had a lot of emotion during the year, I have experienced some crazy moments that I would never have believed if they had told me before,” reflects the blue, also looking ahead, “I often think about what I can improve in 2025. I try to repeat to myself that the goal for next year must be to continue having fun, to try to maintain the level I expressed this year but without too many expectations. It will be very difficult to repeat a year like this, but I will continue to improve. There have been so many experiences, but the main goal must be to have fun, to continue playing at this level and find a way to do it, with work. The goal is to compete at this year's level by trying to play with all the serenity and seriousness of this world, without goals that are too big or specific“.
Clearly the moment in Italian tennis is almost unique also because in both men's and women's the tricolor is flying very high. Thanks to the double J of Paolini and Sinner: “The Jannik's road was much faster than mine (laughs). Doubles with Sara helped me a lotwe played well from the start, when we found some continuity. I'm happy I chose her as my partner. As for Jannik, it's difficult to find a comparison with him, he has a very different story from mine. He is a boy very early, while for me it took much longerit took me many more years and there are still few like him from a tennis point of view. I can't compare myself to him. I can say that with my coach we watch what he does, we try to inspire each other, I believe he is an example for everyone. Even more so for those who play this sport at high levels“.
And it is no coincidence that Jasmine will also be present in the stands to cheer on the world no.1 on his debut in the tournament, also launching into a prediction on the semi-finalists: “I'll watch Jannik's game tonight, but it will be the only one I will see because I have to go to Malaga to play the BJK Cup FinalsI'll have to get back on the field. If I had to give a prediction for the four semifinalists of the tournament I would say Jannik who we all hope for (laughs), Zverev, after today Fritz and hopefully Alcaraz. They would be crazy semi-finals, both Jannik and Carlos in the semi-final would be of absolute value for tennis“.
How absolute was his year, in singles but above all in doubles, with the sensational Olympic gold in Paris paired with Errani. An undertaking that changed the prospects for Tuscany: “Before the Olympic final Sara was very tense, but more so before the tournament. When we are there secured the medal by winning the semi-final she relaxed, she was overjoyedhe cried with joy while I laughed with happiness. In the final I was very tense, after losing the first set she said to me 'that's enough, let's have fun, we have the medal, at least let's enjoy the final, let's be calmer'. From I loosened up there, then we won the tie-break and it was a reliefa crazy moment. The impact for the Italians was important, and before the Olympics I didn't understand how important the Olympic gold was“.
