Jasmine Paolini has revealed Jannik Sinner gave her a key piece of advice after spotting something she could improve on in her game, but she has refused to reveal what the world No 2 told her.
Paolini and Sinner are leading the stunning rise of Italian tennis, with the nation currently the reigning champions of the two biggest team competitions in tennis.
An Italian team propelled by Paolini defended their Billie Jean King Cup title in Shenzen last month, while Sinner will look to fire Italy to a third successive Davis Cup title in front of his home fans in Bologna next month.
Players from the men’s tour rarely get a chance to speak to their female counterparts about the technicalities of their game, yet Paolini told Tennis365 at the Dongfeng · Voyah Wuhan Open that Sinner spotted a flaw in her game that he suggested she could correct.
“At the Davis Cup finals last year, my ex-coach Renzo (Furlan) was speaking with Jannik and I was surprised because he said I wasn’t doing something on the court,” Paolini told Tennis365. “I can’t say what it is because my opponents will know then!
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“My coach came to me and said: ‘Jannik has said you need to do this’. I mean, when Jannik tells you to do something, you just have to do it. How can you say no to Jannik’s advice?”
Paolini went on to pay tribute to Sinner, as she suggested he was setting a good example with his calm demeanour on court.
“He is doing unbelievable things on the court and I think people like how he is behaving on and off the court because he is a really nice guy,” she continued.
“He is a good role model. That is very good for our sport in Italy and it is good for our sport. Tennis is growing in Italy because of him.”
This rise of Italian tennis is one of the biggest talking points in the sport right now, with Paolini and Sinner joined by Lorenzo Musetti, Sara Errani, Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini part of a long cast list of names making a big splash in the sport.
The rise can be traced back to the Italian Tennis Federation hosting a growing list of lower-ranked events that allowed their players to get competitive matches and collect ranking points, with Paolini proud to be part of the golden era of Italian tennis.
“I think it was really important that the Italian Federation but on so many tournaments and now they are continuing to improve them,” she added.
“You see there are many Italians in the men’s draw. With the women, it is a little different, but that has been the key to us doing so well. The Federation are behind us players and they have done an amazing job.
“The fact that there are so many of us, it allows us to push each other to do better and better.”
We will have lots more from our interview with Jasmine Paolini on Tennis365 in the coming days.
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