Ahead of Roland Garros return, Paolini lands on Italian 'Vanity Fair' cover
All eyes were on Jasmine Paolini at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia earlier this month -- an occasion that the top-ranked Italian rose to aplomb. And that spotlight is only growing in the days ahead of Roland Garros, as the 28-year-old returns to the site of the first of two major breakthroughs she made last year: She recently graced the cover of Vanity Fair Italia's latest digital issue.
In an expansive Q&A with writer Chiara Oltolini, Paolini discusses her historic sweep of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia -- where she became the first Italian woman in 40 years to win the singles title, and followed that up by teaming with Sara Errani to win the doubles trophy for the second straight year -- how she handles criticism, and the inner strength that she attributes to her family.
The article is aptly short-titled "La partita della vita," in Italian, which translates directly to, "the game of life."
Heading back to Roland Garros as the No. 4 seed, Paolini also confessed that she's "not thinking too much about the ranking," but dished about why she is particularly excited about her role as an ambassador for sponsor Dove's Body Confident Sport program, which aims to improve self-esteem in young athletes.
"When the project was presented to me, I discovered some data that made me sad: one in two girls, between the ages of 13 and 17, leaves sports often because of an uneasy relationship with their appearance," Paolini says. "And those who leave have been criticized by their reference figures, acquaintances, and the media. I immediately felt personally involved, because all of us athletes have gone through difficult moments that have made us more vulnerable to negative comments. This is why I decided to be the bearer of a positive message."
"Since I was a teenager I played every day and I was lucky in my path: I met people who did not undermine my self-esteem," Paolini added. "The first people the ... program addresses are in fact the coaches. Who, thanks to specific activities, can be of great support in building a safe environment capable of enhancing the potential of each girl."
Paolini was photographed by Ilaria Magliocchetti Lombi for the digital cover.
