A year ago in Dubai, Jasmine Paolini looked like she was on the brink of an early exit. She was down 6-4, 4-2 against Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first round, her chances of making a deep run slipping away fast.
“Yeah,” Paolini recently recalled. “And 15-40, something like that? Almost lost the match. But, you know, it changed.”
And changed it did. What started as a near-loss turned into a career-defining moment. Paolini stormed back to win the last 10 games and flipped the script on her season. She didn’t just escape that match—she went on to claim her first WTA 1000 title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
A Breakthrough Year Begins
Before Dubai, Paolini’s only tour-level title had been at a WTA 250 event in Slovenia. But in Dubai, she caught fire. One by one, she took down an elite field: Leylah Fernandez, Maria Sakkari, Elena Rybakina, Sorana Cirstea, and, in the final, Anna Kalinskaya.
“Sometimes, it just happens like that,” she said. “The best tournaments, you start struggling—and then you find it.”
At 28 years old, Paolini truly found herself on the court. By the end of 2024, she had skyrocketed up the rankings, reaching No. 4 in the PIF WTA Rankings. Now, she returns to Dubai not just as a contender but as the defending champion.
The Unexpected Rise to Tennis’ Biggest Stages
Paolini’s run in Dubai was only the beginning. A month earlier, she had broken new ground by reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open. But no one could have predicted what would come next.
She surged through the French Open, making it all the way to the final on the red clay of Roland Garros. Then, in a stunning back-to-back run, she reached another Grand Slam final at Wimbledon. Two major finals in just a few weeks—a feat few saw coming.
“Every step last year helped me,” she said. “Helped me to get to second week [of a Grand Slam] for first time, which helped me to play better the rest of the year. You improve and you feel you can play these matches. Give me so much confidence.”
More Than Just Singles Success
Paolini’s magic wasn’t limited to singles. Alongside her doubles partner Sara Errani, she reached the final at Roland Garros and then went on to claim Olympic gold in Paris. That triumph was followed by another title in Beijing and a historic moment at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where she was the only player to compete in both singles and doubles.
Then came a cherry on top: a dominant performance at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, where Paolini’s singles win over Rebecca Sramkova helped seal Italy’s championship victory.
Keeping the Momentum Going in 2025
Since then, Paolini has barely had time to breathe. After a short training block in Dubai, she flew to Australia for the 2025 season, making it to the third round before falling to Elina Svitolina. But there wasn’t time to dwell—she was soon back in Italy, where the victorious Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup teams were honored by President Sergio Mattarella in Rome.
Now, her focus is on defending her Dubai title, but she’s approaching it with a fresh mindset.
“I’m trying to tell myself that this year it’s a different story, completely different,” she emphasized. “We have to write a new story, not think too much of the past.”
That doesn’t mean forgetting everything that happened. Paolini acknowledges that her 2024 success gave her belief, but she also understands the challenge ahead. Her main focus? Fine-tuning her serve and increasing precision, especially on the first ball.
Managing Expectations
With success comes pressure, and Paolini admits she feels it.
“I’m trying to focus on the work, to tell myself that everything can happen in tennis,” she said. “You have to keep going and going, try to do good things. Trying also to keep expectations low. But with expectations, of course, I think it’s tougher for me.”
Her journey over the past year has been nothing short of remarkable. From being on the brink of elimination in Dubai to reaching two Grand Slam finals, winning an Olympic gold medal, and lifting Italy to a team championship, Jasmine Paolini has arrived as a true force in women’s tennis.
Now, she embarks on a new season, determined to prove that last year was just the beginning.
