3 lesser-known facts about Jasmine Paolini, the Italian who has taken French Open 2024 by storm

Jasmine Paolini has seen a rapid rise to tennis stardom since 2023. Having been a late bloomer in the tennis circuit, the Italian is enjoying her best form at the age of 28. Now, Paolini has made history by reaching the final of the French Open for the first time in her career.

The Italian will face Iga Swiatek in the final at Roland-Garros 2024 and could send a shockwave through the tennis world by defeating the World No. 1. A win would make Paolini the first Italian since Francesca Schiavone in 2010, to win the tournament.

Her historic run in Paris this year has made Jasmine Paolini a household name among tennis fans. The Italian has constantly been in the news with the fans eager to know more and more about the 28-year-old.

So, here is a list of three lesser-known facts about Jasmine Paolini.

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#3. Jasmine Paolini chose tennis over swimming as a five-year-old

Jasmine Paolini started playing tennis at the age of five. However, her career path could have been a lot different. The Italian was asked to pick between swimming and tennis back then, and Paolini picked the latter.

Paolini has admitted that she decided to play tennis to follow in the footsteps of her uncle. The young Italian added that she had enjoyed playing tennis from the first day and stuck to it over swimming.

"I remember that my father and my mother told me, you have to choose one sport to do. In Bagni Di Lucca there was all tennis or a swimming pool and because of my uncle who was playing tennis, I decided to go to play. I enjoyed it a lot ever since I started it. I really enjoyed to be at the tennis club."

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#2. Paolini is bilingual and can speak in Polish

Despite her Italian nativity, Jasmine Paolini is fluent in other languages too. The 28-year-old has an Italian father and her mother is of Ghanaian, Danish and Polish descent. Paolini and her mother often converse in Polish, which has helped the Italian's command of the language.

During her 2024 French Open run, Paolini was asked in an interview about her Polish heritage and her ability to speak the language. The Italian admitted that she is not fluent in Polish but speaks enough to get by.

“I try to speak in Polish, but it’s not easy. I’m a little bit shy because I’m not feeling really confident in it. So, yeah, I try to speak Polish, but it’s not easy for me."

#1. Jasmine Paolini is an Instagram 'lurker'

During her off time, Paolini likes to spend time on her phone. The Italian has admitted that she loves to listen to pop music and use WhatsApp. However, the most used application on her phone is Instagram.

The 28-year-old has claimed that she does not like to be active on the app and instead prefers to browse other accounts. The Italian likes to 'lurk' on social media rather than be 'social'.

"But I'm not so social. I don't like to post a lot. I'm a lurker!"

She currently has around 200 posts on her Instagram. But with her rapid rise in the tennis world, Jasmine Paolini looks set to become a favorite of even more fans in the coming years.