A drink for every occasion.
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) May 17, 2025
How it started -> How it ended. pic.twitter.com/KAmG2hvu4O
This past weekend, world number 4 Jasmine Paolini not only showed (yet again) that she's a true member of the Fighting Italian contingent--she also displayed a particular Fighting Italian characteristic--the power of age. Francesca Schiavone was 30 when she won the French Open, and Flavia Pennetta was 33 when she won the U.S. Open. Those were the only majors they won, though Schiavone was a French Open finalist the year after she won the event. And--while Sara Errani achieved a Career Slam in doubles when she was 27--she won Olympic gold in doubles when she was 34. Billie Jean King Cup specialist Roberta Vinci never won a singles major, but she became a finalist at age 32, and she was 31 when she achieved a Career Slam in doubles.
Paolini, age 29, just became the first Italian woman in 40 years to win the Italian Open, and she won it twice, getting both the singles and the doubles trophies. Last year, when she was 28, she reached the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. Prior to that, the spirited Italian player was known more as a hardworking journeywoman on the tour.
What is it about these Italian players that allows them to carry on through the years, and then--when many other players would be retired or winding down--achieve the top awards in professional tennis?
"When. the. moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..."
— Diane Elayne Dees (@WomenWhoServe) September 13, 2015
"That's Pennetta!" pic.twitter.com/hXbbz1NZOV
When writing about Italians, one is tempted to use a food or wine metaphor. Schiavone once said, when speaking about her game: "Is a mix. It's like Capricciosa pizza. I don't give you Margherita, I give you Capricciosa, different kind of ingredient." I did use a kind of wine as a metaphor when describing Maria Sharapova's second French Open victory, and indeed, Sharapova and champagne seem to go together.
The Fighting Italians, however, are obviously in the red wine camp. When I think of aged, complex Italian wine, Barolo comes to mind. Nebbiolo grapes are fermented in oak for a couple of months. The wine, depending on the variety, is then aged for as long as long as five years, with some of that process occurring in the bottle.
The Fighting Italians are definitely Borolo Reserva, which requires maximum aging. Borolo is spicy and complex, and if that doesn't describe Schiavone, Pennetta, Errani, Vinci, and Paolini, I don't know what does. Aged in oak: those years grinding in out on the courts, then aged in the bottle--the maturity that comes when you are determined to reach your highest potential, yet you also know not to take everything too seriously.
Theoretically, the pressure is now on Paolini to defend (and surpass?) her 2024 French Open and Wimbledon runs. I trust the way Italians age, and the way they handle pressure. Paolini has already won more 1000 tournaments than any of the original four, and the season is still young. Sooner or later, she'll be raising another glass--as well she should.