LONDON — Roger Federer sets foot at Wimbledon and every eye turns towards him. The Swiss always generates a special kind of magnetism, especially when he shows up at the All England Club in a suit. Just ask Jasmine Paolini.
“I want to say thank you, Roger. He is my idol. During the match I kept telling myself: ‘stay focus, stay focus, don’t think about he’s here’,” the Italian said with a laugh, after stopping Filipino Alexandra Eala’s run in the fourth round of the third Grand Slam of the year, 6-4, 4-6 and 6-3.
“I was watching all the finals, all the matches he played here, so it’s an amazing feeling,” she admitted after booking her place in the last eight in London. The former world No. 1 smiled and thanked her for the kind words.
Federer, visiting the All England Club as he does every year since retiring from tennis, watched the match from the Royal Box seated alongside Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who after finishing 15th at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, continues to lead the Formula 1 world championship.
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Extra pressure for Paolini, who is looking to match the final she reached at Wimbledon two years ago: in 2024 she fell to Czech player Barbora Krejčíková.
It has been a season of modest results for the former world No. 4, now ranked 17th. She admits as much herself: “I came here without much preparation.”
Her Wimbledon 2026 campaign got off to the worst possible start. North American Robin Montgomery handed her a 6-0 first set. “I was like: ‘ok, you can only get better now!'” She turned that first-round match around and has found her rhythm with subsequent wins over Swiss player Viktorija Golubic, Greek player María Sakkari and Eala.
“Grass is a weird surface. Sometimes you can love it, sometimes you can hate it. When you play well and feel good, is the best surface to play on!” said the winner of three WTA singles titles and ten in doubles.
And in those moments when her tennis lets her down, at least her good spirits do not: “I love what you do, and I think that’s my superpower!”
