Benvenuta! : Meet Jasmine Paolini, at 28 a Late-Blooming Global Star

By Richard Osborn

Jasmine Paolini said she was too scared to dream, that back-to-back runner-up finishes at Roland Garros and Wimbledon were already far beyond anything she ever could have imagined.

But then off she went to the Olympic Games in Paris. Though the Italian fell in the second round of the singles competition to Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, she would join countrywoman Sara Errani for a gold-medal run in doubles.

The diminutive, 5-foot-4 Tuscan with the dimpled smile had arrived, at 28 a sudden and late-blooming global star.

“It’s been a very good summer,” said Paolini, understating the obvious. “A lot of emotions, especially the past week with the gold medal. It’s something special.”

Paolini had never even sniffed the Top 50 in the WTA rankings until 2021. Now she’s the No. 5-ranked player in the world, but a spot away from matching 2010 Roland Garros champ Francesca Schiavone as the highest ranked Italian woman in WTA Tour history. Until Wimbledon, she had never won a main-draw match on grass at the tour level.

“I started to play better last year, but I didn’t imagine I’d reach two Grand Slam finals in a row. It’s something crazy,” she said on Tuesday at the Cincinnati Open, where she’s seeded fifth. “I just think about the present, to try to enjoy this beautiful moment that I’m living. I try to improve things to keep this level as long as possible. It’s very exciting. It’s a dream to be in this position.”

On paper, she was an odd choice as partner for Errani, who would complete a career Golden Slam in doubles with the title in Paris, having already captured trophies at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. In truth, Paolini had never cared much for the doubles discipline.

“I wasn’t liking doubles,” smiled Paolini. “My coach said, ‘You have to play doubles because you’ll improve your volleys, your serve, your return.’ I was like, ‘Maybe one day.’ I didn’t want to play. But when Sara asked me to play, I was super excited. She was No. 1 in the world. She won so many tournaments. I think she was the right person to play with. I didn’t have any experience, any idea how to play doubles. She helped me a lot. Now we have a gold medal.”

Paolini is clearly enjoying her newfound fame, with fans of all nationalities embracing her.

“I really like it. It’s something great to have fans on your side,” she said.

“It’s something new for me because I never had so much attention from the fans. It’s something to be proud of. It means you’ve played well. It’s nice to have a child ask you for a photo or an autograph.”

“But I’m trying to keep the expectations low. It’s tough to keep this level. I know that. I’m trying everything possible to keep it as long as possible. I’m not going to focus on the next goals. I’m trying to focus on what I have to do on court and understand what I have to do to improve more — to focus on the work, on the improvement, not the goals.”

Well, there is one goal she’s happy to discuss. A gelato lover by birthright, she says she’s looking forward to sampling Graeter’s Ice Cream, as revered a Cincinnati delicacy as a chili-and-cheese-topped coney.

“I’m gonna try,” she confessed.