Jasmine Paolini and the New Era of Italian Tennis

Scholastic Kid Reporter Leyla Saldanha with tennis player Jasmine Paolini

In celebration of the US Open, tennis stars gathered at ASICS’ New York City headquarters on Thursday, August 21. This included Belinda Bencic, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Lorenzo Musetti, and Jasmine Paolini. Paolini, the No. 7 seed from Italy, is an ASICS brand ambassador and a strong contender for the women's title.  

29-year-old Paolini is very excited for the US Open. She placed in the top 16 in last year’s US Open, her best result yet, and finished as a finalist at the Cincinnati Open earlier this month. Paolini, who started playing tennis with her dad when she was five and turned professional at seventeen, told me during an interview that her favorite movie growing up was Cinderella. In a way, Paolini is living her own Cinderella story. From a small town in Tuscany, she won the Italian Open in Rome in both singles and doubles, and was the singles runner up in the Grand Slams of Roland Garros and Wimbledon. She also took home the gold for doubles at the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

Paolini shared with me how reading can help during rigorous training and high stakes competitions. She said, “When [you] read, I feel like you go in another world. You don’t think any more about tennis and you think about something else…I think it helps a lot. Even before matches when maybe you are nervous, you try to read and you think about something else.” Paolini likes to read mystery books and one of her favorite biographies is Open by Andre Agassi, an American tennis legend and inspiration to players around the world.         

Paolini’s signature smile was on full display at the ASICS event, including during our interview. Paolini told the Tennis Channel at the Italian Open that “It’s my goal to also enjoy playing tennis. Remember that it’s a sport, it’s my job, but also it’s my passion.” She told me her hope for the next generation was “that they dream…they believe in themselves and that they are happy with what they are doing. If they choose a job or a passion and a hobby, they are happy about it.”

Together with US Open defending champion and #1 in the world Jannik Sinner, Paolini is leading the charge and inspiring a whole new generation of Italian tennis players. On August 20th, she attended the US Open to cheer her fellow Italian tennis players and mixed doubles defending champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, to victory, showing her support for this new era of Italian tennis.

As the 2025 US Open starts, Jasmine Paolini is one of the most exciting players to watch. In the last year, she has soared up the rankings making her mark as a prominent Italian tennis player and showcasing along the way her skill, grit, smile and style. Her story serves as a powerful reminder that champions are not only made through practice, but through the stories and lessons they carry with them. Bravo e in boca al lupo (good luck) Paolini!

Leyla also got to sit in on a moderated Q&A with Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz at the ASICS House of Tennis event.