Follow us on Google Discover Jasmine Paolini is looking to become the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Flavia Pennetta.
Paolini reached two Grand Slam finals last year in a breakout season that saw her reach a career-high ranking of world number four.
The Italian has been able to sustain her place in the top 10 in 2025, with Paolini winning the Italian Open and reaching the Cincinnati Open final.
However, Paolini has struggled at the Grand Slams this year and now 2015 US Open champion Pennetta has suggested whether she thinks it will ever happen for her compatriot.
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty ImagesFlavia Pennetta suggests if she thinks Jasmine Paolini can win a Grand Slam
Paolini has recently helped Italy retain the Billie Jean King Cup, and is by far the highest ranked Italian on the WTA Tour.
As a result, she is thought to be Italy’s best hope of having a Grand Slam women’s singles champion, something that Pennetta knows all about.
When speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Pennetta was asked if she thinks there is anything missing from Paolini’s game that is preventing her from winning a major tournament.
However, Pennetta has suggested that she thinks Paolini is capable of becoming a Grand Slam singles champion.
“Nothing, I don’t think she’s really lacking anything,” said Pennetta. “She has a very, very broad quality of play and she really has many alternative plans when maybe she’s having an off day compared to other players who are just one-track minded.
“Let’s say she has a speed in her shots, in her movement, her feet go at 2000 so I really don’t think she’s lacking anything to be able to win a Grand Slam event.”
Paolini achieved her best result at all the major tournaments last year, but has not surpassed the fourth round of a Grand Slam in 2025.
Flavia Pennetta responds when asked if she thinks Jasmine Paolini is similar to her
Like Paolini, Pennetta reached her peak later on in her career after winning her one and only Grand Slam title at 33 years old.
Despite this similarity, Pennetta believes that tennis has changed so much since she retired in 2025 that it is difficult to compare herself to Paolini.
“Well, she also plays pretty straight,” said Pennetta. “Yes, she maybe spins the ball a little more and her ball actually moves faster than mine, but I think it’s simply a bit of a change, right?
“There have been so many changes, evolutions in the sport, especially in terms of the equipment itself, so the racket, the strings, the balls are very different, and this means that tennis is becoming a very, very fast sport.”
Pennetta won the US Open in her final ever Grand Slam singles tournament, and Paolini will be hoping to recreate her success in the near future.
Paolini’s current focus is qualifying for the WTA Finals, and after reaching the Wuhan Open semifinals she has moved into pole position to qualify for the year-end tournament in both singles and doubles.