This collage of photos shows Jasmine Paolini (left) and Jannik Sinner. — Reuters
Jasmine Paolini has opened up on the advice that Jannik Sinner gave her when he noticed an area of improvement in her game.
Sinner and Paolini have emerged as the biggest tennis stars in Italy and are currently the defending champions of the two biggest team competitions in tennis for the nation.
Paolini helped the Italian team defend their Billie Jean King Cup title in Shenzen last month, while Sinner has led Italy to two successive Davis Cup titles and will be looking to add a third in front of his home fans in Bologna next month.
Paolini at the Wuhan Open said that Sinner found a flaw in her game and sent important advice through her ex-coach Renzo Furlan at the Davis Cup finals last year.
“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 said.
“I can’t say what it is because my opponents will know then!
“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 added that Jannik Sinner is doing great work on the court and is a role model for upcoming tennis players in Italy.
“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 added.
“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.”
