Per Jasmine PaoliniRome is much more than a stop on the calendar: it is a special place, full of memories and sensations that come back different every time. The Internazionali BNL d’Italia marks one of the most awaited moments of the season on clay and, for the Italian, also a particularly heartfelt return after the double triumph in singles and doubles last year. The debut is expected on Fridaywhen he will take the field against the winner of the Romanian team Jaqueline Cristian and the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maiain a debut that promises to be immediately challenging. But behind the light smile and brilliant tennis there is a world of discipline, data, balance and some margherita pizza.
The return to Rome: emotion and awareness
«I arrive in Rome with good feelings. Returning to Centrale made me think back to last year’s editionwhich was unforgettable and gave me so much.” Rome is never just any tournament for Paolini. It is the place where talent met maturity, where the Italian public became pure energy. And today, more than defending a title or points, the Tuscan tennis player seems to want to defend a mental state: that of someone enters the field to express himself, not to demonstrate. «For this year I hope above all to enjoy the audience, the tournament and to be able to express my best level of tennis from the first match».
Training and technology: data as allies for listening to the body
In modern tennis, talent is not enough. And Paolini knows it well. «Training is fundamental in my job and it doesn’t just consist of playing tennis: we also do the gym, running and specific physical work. Tennis is the most fun part, but everything else is essential to be competitive.” His is a “hybrid” workout, built on multiple levels: resistance, speed, strength and recovery capacity. But the real difference lies inlistening to the body, transformed into concrete data thanks to the collaboration with Amazfit.
With devices like the Amazfit Active 3 Premium, every workout becomes legible. «During training I always monitor the data: I activate the device to understand how intense the work was and, together with the athletic trainer, we evaluate whether to push harder or slow down». Not just sensations, but precise parameters: heart rate variability, sleep quality, energy level. «One of the parameters we look at most is cardiac variability, together with sleep and recovery. Even the so-called “biocharge” it helps me understand when I need to recover more or when it’s time to push.” It is teamwork, where technology does not replace instinct but refines it, making every choice more conscious.
The head scores match point
There is one aspect that Paolini underlines more than any other: the mind. «In my opinion, the head does a lot: there are days when you feel more energized and others more difficult, but it’s also important to make an effort and say to yourself “I’m here, I have energy”. In tennis, where every point can turn a match around, the internal narrative becomes strategy. «It happened to me during a tournament that I kept telling myself that I was tired: at a certain point I realized that I had to stop, because otherwise I would end up really believing it». It is no coincidence that he also works with a psychologist: getting to know each other is part of the training.
Nutrition, recovery and the luxury of simplicity
Discipline yes, but without absolute rigidity. «I always try to have a varied and balanced diet. In the morning everything starts with coffee, then I like omelettes, perhaps with avocado, and bread and fruit.” The routine changes with travel, but it remains a solid foundation. And then of course there is the “sgarro”, which tells much more than a thousand perfect diets: «If I have to choose the dish of the dish, for me it is pizza, a simple margherita. And not just in Italy: it is now good all over the world.”
The real secret is not to train more and more, but to train better. «After a match I win, the following day I usually train for an hour or an hour and a quarter. If I’ve played a very long game, maybe I’ll cut back.” Recovery is strategy, not pause. Also because the tennis calendar is unforgiving. «The days in the tournament are quite simple but intense, everything is very organized around the performance».
And off the field? Paolini seeks small spaces of lightness. «I like to disconnect explore the cities we are inespecially if times are not very tight, e.g try new restaurants». No excesses, but authentic moments: a walk, a dinner out, a game of cards with the team. “I still have to discover what really relaxes me, but it’s important to balance the whole day a bit.” This is perhaps its most interesting balance: never turn off completely, but learn to modulate the intensity.
The real point: conquer your own rhythm
Training, technology, nutrition, mind, recovery: everything holds together, but without rigidity. Rather than chasing perfection, Jasmine Paolini seems to have found something more subtle and difficult: your own pace. The one that allows her to adapt to intense weeks, continuous travel and growing expectations without losing naturalness. In Rome, on Friday, he will return to the field in front of his fans. And while eyes will be on every exchange, the feeling is that her true strength lies right there: in the ability to remain true to herself, even when everything speeds up.
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