(Video) Jasmine Paolini Gets Closer Look At Plaque of Rafael Nadal’s Footprint At Roland Garros

Jasmine Paolini is chasing her first Grand Slam singles title at the French Open, the tournament Rafael Nadal won a record 14 times.

(Video) Jasmine Paolini Gets Closer Look At Plaque of Rafael Nadal’s Footprint At Roland Garros

Jasmine Paolini touched the plaque of Rafael Nadal's footprint (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, Talking Tennis, Le Parisien)

Rafael Nadal has left his mark at Roland Garros. On May 25th, the plaque of his footprint on Court Philippe-Chatrier was unveiled to the world.

It will remain forever on the court to celebrate the King of Clay. World No.1 Jannik Sinner got a closer look at it after his first-round win over Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech and now his compatriot Jasmine Paolini, during her practice session on Wednesday (May 28th), touched the plaque, where along with the footprint, ‘Rafa Nadal’, trophy, and the number ’14’ was inscribed.

Watch the video here:

At the French Open back in 2005, Nadal became a Grand Slam champion for the first time. Back then, perhaps no one thought he would be winning the title 13 more times. It is worth noting that his last title in the tournament came in 2022.

In 2024, Nadal was defeated in the first round by eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev, which ended up being his last French Open. About a month later in the Paris Olympics second round, he played his last singles match on clay and it was against his longtime rival Novak Djokovic, who later became a gold medalist for the first time. Then in November, the 38-year-old hung up his racket in Malaga after Spain’s defeat to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup.

Jasmine Paolini reaches the French Open third round

Jasmine Paolini survived a scare in his first round. China’s Yue Yuan took a set off her but the Italian ace eventually made the comeback to move into the second round. In the second round, Paolini did not have to toil hard. On Wednesday (May 28), the 29-year-old knocked out Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-3 to secure a spot in the third round.

Jasmine Paolini
Jasmine Paolini (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

The elimination also means Paolini has won eight consecutive singles matches for the first time. Apart from this, she also reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in singles.

This made her only the second Italian woman to do so, following former US Open finalist Roberta Vinci. Paolini, in her first 16 Grand Slam singles matches, had failed to move into the third round. She will next meet Yulia Starodubtseva, the qualifier from Ukraine, who knocked out Anastasia Potapova in straight sets. The upcoming match will be their first encounter on the tour.

Jasmine Paolini is keeping low expectations at the French Open

Before the French Open, Paolini lifted her second WTA 1000 title. She beat the 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff to become an Italian Open champion for the first time.

Jasmine Paolini (2)
Jasmine Paolini (Image via X/Bastien Fachan)

Then with compatriot Sara Errani, she won the doubles event. At the French Open, Paolini was the runner-up last year. She was no match for World No.5 Iga Swiatek, who became a four-time Roland Garros champion. Paolini doesn’t want to think about her chances in the ongoing tournament as she would rather focus on one match at a time.

I don’t know. It doesn’t imply anything different for having been in last year’s final, but of course, it’s a special feeling, although right now I try to keep expectations low. I prefer to focus on the match I have to play and nothing else. Sometimes it works, but there are times it doesn’t. That’s the goal, always thinking about the present, about what’s coming in the next match.

Jasmine Paoloni said at the press conference after her first-round win

Paolini could face Swiatek again, but this time, in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she could meet 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist Qinwen Zheng or World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. In the final, she is projected to meet Mirra Andreeva, Gauff, or Madison Keys. Paolini is a two-time Grand Slam finalist as apart from the French Open, she also reached the Wimbledon final last year.

Also read: Coco Gauff Gives Insightful Reason About Roland Garros not Scheduling Any Women’s Matches During Night Session