Copyright Essentially Sports
The desert air in Riyadh felt charged with anticipation. Cameras were being polished, player banners fluttered in the indoor breeze, and the world’s top eight women prepared to wage their final battle of the season. Jasmine Paolini, Italy’s pocket rocket and one of the brightest revelations in the last couple of years, was supposed to walk into the WTA Finals like a woman ready to finish what she started—a season of breakthroughs, heart, and grit. But sport, as ever, has its dramatic timing. Just a day before the long-awaited opener against Aryna Sabalenka, a whisper turned into news: Paolini has been taken ill. Last year, Paolini played 63 matches and won 42 out of them, but this year, she has already played 64 matches and has a win percentage (71.9%) much better than the previous year. Although she has failed to reach the quarterfinals of any of the four major tournaments this year, her form at the WTA 1000 events has been truly exceptional. Paolini won the title in Rome and then reached the final at the Cincinnati Open, where she was defeated by Iga Swiatek by a 5-7, 4-6 margin. In the previous month, she reached the QF at the China Open and the semifinals at the Wuhan Open and Ningbo Open. Owing to her stellar performance in the last few months, Paolini secured a spot in the 2025 WTA Finals, and she was all set to start her doubles campaign alongside her compatriot Sara Errani on Saturday at 3:30 pm local time (8:30 am ET). Following that, she is scheduled to play against the world number one, Sabalenka, in the singles event, but… Jasmine Paolini was unable to complete her media commitments on Friday after becoming unwell towards the end of her practice session. Hence, she was then advised to take some rest. But her fans are now a bit concerned about her participation at the WTA Finals, since there isn’t much time left before she hits the court. According to the presenter, Gigi Salmon’s statement to Sky Sports, “I managed to speak to 22 out of a possible 24 players. The two players missing were the Italians and the top seeds in the doubles, the Roland Garros champions, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.“ She further clarified, “That’s because Paolini was taken ill at the end of her practice earlier today, and the tournament director recommended that she take it easy, doesn’t do any media interviews today, and just rest.” ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Having said that, she wished Paolini a speedy recovery, as there isn’t much time left before their match against Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs in the doubles. For a player who built her year on resilience and rhythm, the timing could not be more brutal. We’ll keep a close eye on whether she manages to show up in the doubles and singles events or not. But talking about her journey to the WTA Finals, how does Paolini look at her performance this season, though? ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Jasmine Paolini draws a comparison between her performance in 2024 and 2025 There are seasons that build a player, and then there are seasons that test everything they’ve built. For Jasmine Paolini, 2024 was the year she stepped into tennis’ brightest spotlight—consistency, composure, and a fearless surge that carried her deep into the brightest stages. But fast-forward to 2025, and the tone is different. Last year, she reached two major finals (French Open and Wimbledon), but this year has been a bit tricky for the Italian. Earlier this year, in an interview with Tennis365, when she was asked about how difficult it was for her to take it forward from where she left it last year, she said, “I think the key is always to trust the process, trust the work you are doing. You have to put the work in to improve every time you go on court because if you keep the same level, you are going down. You always have to improve. That’s the key to staying at this level. I like being here, so I want to stay. This year has been a bit less consistent than last year, but it has still been a good year.” Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports Following that, in an interview with Sky Sports, she further added, “Last season was truly incredible, fantastic. It wasn’t easy to play as well as last year, but I think I managed it, perhaps with less consistency. I won in Rome, which is a dream for Italians.“ She also spoke about the importance of being consistent at this level and admitted, “This year, it was hard to change coaches, but at the same time, I feel like I’ve grown a lot.” ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad And like all great competitors, Paolini understands that success isn’t a straight line. The champions are not the ones who rise, but the ones who rise again when the climb steepens. According to former pro CoCo Vandeweghe, Jasmine Paolini has gone “under the radar“ this season. She also heaped praise on how Paolini has managed to maintain a fair bit of consistency in the later part of the season, especially. Coming to her predictions for the WTA Finals, Vandeweghe said, “Jasmine Paolini is always going to be a dangerous player coming in the round robin, because you have multiple chances to try and qualify and win in your group.” But do you know that the qualification for the WTA Finals would’ve been a bit difficult for the Italian star without this particular rule…We saw Paolini getting relieved of a point deduction this year, but players like Iga Swiatek (173), Aryna Sabalenka (130), Coco Gauff (10), and others have been handed a point deduction. Speaking on this, Polish tennis journalist Dominik Senkowski shed light on how Paolini edged out Mirra Andreeva for a coveted spot, thanks to a rarely invoked rule. According to him, “Jasmine Paolini was not penalized with points deduction from the ranking—unlike, for example, Swiątek or Sabalenka. The Italian played in 5 and not 6 WTA 500 tournaments this year. The WTA informed me that the lack of penalty stems from the fact that Paolini withdrew from Adelaide for medical reasons.“ He further elaborated on how this loophole allowed her to strategically skip the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Meanwhile, Andreeva scrambled to make up points by entering the Tokyo draw but was unable to compete at this event due to visa complications. Fortune favors the brave? Well, surely Jasmine Paolini has been quite brave this season on the courts. But can she now showcase yet another moment of bravery by overcoming all the hurdles and starting the WTA Finals campaign on a positive note?
