Tennis-Paolini prepared to sweat it out with Wimbledon braced for hot start

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(Reuters) -Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini said on Saturday she is unfazed by forecasts of soaring temperatures at Wimbledon where last year’s runner-up again carries the hopes of a nation yet to celebrate a singles champion at the All England Club.

Paolini said she prefers sunny conditions and will aim to stay well hydrated in temperatures forecast to push 33 degrees Celsius.

“We’ll see. I like hot … It’s better when it is sunny for everybody,” Paolini told reporters.

“Drink a lot, I guess. That’s the main thing because if the match goes long, it’s tough … In Hamburg was hot, Berlin was also hot,” she said, referring to the tune-up tournaments ahead of Wimbledon.

Last year during rain Paolini played under cover at Wimbledon, which has retractable roofs on Centre Court and Court number one in case of weather disruptions.

“Last year I have to say I really like when the roof was closed. Still you have to play on this court to have the roof,” she said.

The 29-year-old Paolini, the first Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon final, returns to the Grand Slam with modest expectations, though she remains Italy’s best hope for a Wimbledon women’s singles breakthrough.

Italy has also come close to a men’s singles title at Wimbledon with Matteo Berrettini reaching the final in 2021.

“I’m trying always to keep the expectation low. Especially on grass, everything can really happen,” she said.

“I don’t know, just trying to focus on the first match, trying to play a good match with a good level.”

Paolini’s 2024 season was nothing short of extraordinary, highlighted by her WTA 1000 title in Dubai and back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

In May this year, Paolini became the first Italian in 40 years to win the women’s singles title in Rome. In the grasscourt swing she lost to twice Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur in her opening match in Berlin and enjoyed a semi-final run in Bad Homburg before falling to Iga Swiatek.

(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)