Looking back on her Wimbledon final loss to Barbora Krejcikova, Jasmine Paolini reminisced.
In 2024, Jasmine Paolini looked back on her “crazy” trip and revealed, in a touching way, that she had been rooting for Roger Federer following their Wimbledon loss. Despite losing to Barbora Krejcikova in three sets at SW19, the Italian has won over supporters’ hearts. Paolini has had an incredible year and made it to the French Open championship. She has become to be a crowd favorite at Wimbledon, receiving applause the entire time.
In a tough match on Centre Court, Krejcikova defeated Paolini 6-2 2-6 6-4. The runner-up, who grew up cheering for eight-time champion Roger Federer, has revealed her pride at making it to the championship match, though. When asked if she will return, the 28-year-old grinned and said, “I hope so. Though I’m a little depressed today, I can’t stop smiling. When I was younger, I remember watching TV and rooting on Federer!
It’s insane to be here at this moment. I’m grateful to everyone who helps make this event possible and I’m enjoying every second of it.
“Thank you for coming. Playing on this stage is a dream come true, and to see this stadium full is truly amazing,” she continued. Barbora deserves my congratulations. You play such exquisite tennis, and naturally, congratulations to your team. “For me, the past two months have been absolutely wild. I’d like to thank everyone up there, my family, and my team. I wouldn’t be here without their help. These past two weeks, the audience has been incredible, and I’ve had a lot of support. Amazing to feel so much from them.
The victorious Krejcikova expressed gratitude to Paolini and her group. On the list of Wimbledon women’s singles winners, the Czech star is a newcomer.
“In an emotional on-court speech, I would like to congratulate Jasmine and her team,” the 28-year-old stated. “Well, I was the fortunate one in the end, but she did play in the Roland Garros final a few weeks ago. Huge congratulations—it’s incredible what she accomplished in such a short amount of time.”
The 2021 French Open victor made a joke about how no one in her hometown would think she had won Wimbledon: “What just happened is unbelievable.” It’s unquestionably the greatest day of my life and my tennis career.”
On returning home to Brno in Czechia, Krejcikova continued: “I think nobody really believed it that I got to the final and no one is going to believe that I won Wimbledon.”