Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2024 Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates winning her semi final match against Russia's Mirra Andreeva REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
PARIS (Reuters) - Reaching a Grand Slam final is probably the dream of any child when they pick up a tennis racket, but Jasmine Paolini, who won her French Open semi-final on Thursday, never dared to think so far ahead.
The Italian 28-year-old reached her first major final with a comfortable 6-3 6-1 win over Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva.
"When I started to play tennis, I was just enjoying. I was not dreaming too much," Paolini told reporters.
"Then I started to train like a professional tennis player. I was dreaming to become a professional, and I never dreamed to be, you know, number one, Grand Slam champion. Never dreamed so big. Never.
"That, I think is not so positive, because I think it's important to dream, but I started to dream, I think, step by step. Not, you know, too far away."
Paolini was shocked to realise that other players did have those dreams and goals from a young age.
"For me it's surprising to see interviews from Nole (Novak Djokovic) when he was a kid saying that he wanted to be world number one, and Wimbledon," she said.
"I watched this, and I said, it's unbelievable that you can dream as a child. I didn't dream it, you know, when I was a child.
"It's unbelievable to see Jannik (Sinner) when he was 15 years old say that his dream was to be number one, and for me it's something different. I never dreamed to be in a Grand Slam final, and I'm here."
Paolini will play Polish world number one and three-times French Open champion Iga Swiatek in Saturday's final, which gives her the chance to use her Polish language skills, as the Italian's mother is from Poland.
"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," Paolini said.
"But of course, when I see her, I say congratulations for the title she can win. She does the same. She congratulated me after Dubai."
Paolini will go into the final full of confidence as she has also reached the women's doubles semi-finals at Roland Garros.
"To step on court and to believe that you can win, it's a totally different way to see the match," Paolini said.
"When you are not confident, it's a little bit more complicated in tennis, because it's a really mental sport."
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Ed Osmond)
