THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 8, 2026

Jasmine Paolini

Press Conference

M. KOSTYUK/J. Paolini

6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Jasmine, share some thoughts on today's match.

JASMINE PAOLINI: Yeah, it was a tough match. Marta, she was playing aggressive, really good tennis. I couldn't, I think, play as the previous matches. But I think also that her, she made me playing difficult, you know.

What to do? Nothing. She play better than me today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What did you find difficult today?

JASMINE PAOLINI: I think today I stepped on court, I don't know, my legs were a little bit slower than usual. That's, I think, the worst part, because I couldn't hit the ball as I wanted, more mistakes.

But also, she's playing so aggressive. She didn't let me get into the match. She didn't let me play maybe one more ball that I think I needed in that moment.

I was slower than the other days. That, I think, was the reason why my level was a little bit lower today.

Q. Why it's so difficult to win points against this sort of player? Of course, she's very aggressive. But why is she so difficult to play?

JASMINE PAOLINI: I think, yeah, she's playing great tennis in the last three months. She has a lot of confident, for sure. She's a great athlete. She play tennis very well. A lot of things that I think she does pretty well.

Today for me maybe was even more difficult because, as I said, I didn't move and I didn't feel so fast on court. But credits to her, because she made me feel more stressed on court, more under pressure and stuff like that.

Q. In terms of coming into Wimbledon, your form wasn't great. Leaving a quarterfinalist for the second time, can you take a bit of solace or comfort in that?

JASMINE PAOLINI: Yes. Now it's tough to see the positive part. Still was a great tournament. I played five matches, which is great, because this year I played few matches. I mean, five matches, maybe I need like, I don't know, four tournaments to play five matches.

I'm happy with my level. At the same time, I know that I need to play more weeks like I did this tournament because I think also to have matches help you in those kind of situation when you are more tired, you are more stress.

The goal, I think it's to try to play more matches in this second half of 2026, to have this mood on court that I have in this tournament. Yeah, hopefully I can take the positive things for the rest of the season.

Q. I'm observing two things of your game. Your explosiveness, quickness has changed something. Did you change physical coach work in the last maybe half year?

JASMINE PAOLINI: You mean in positive, negative way?

Q. It changed. I don't want to say 'negative'. It's not the same level like I've seen two years ago.

JASMINE PAOLINI: I think we didn't change. I mean, I change the fitness coach, but I change in the middle of last year.

But I don't think this is the thing. I think that last year, in the last months, I played really well. Physically I was feeling really good.

I think it's more how I feel on court mentally, because I think it's more that thing. It's not something physical. Of course, I know last couple of months I didn't practice that much because of the foot, because of the injury.

I think, as well, the brain, it's the thing that make you run more or make you be more explosive. You know what I mean?

I think that my explosivity is there. Some matches it's there; some it's not there. Today was not there. So it's not the physical part, I think. It's more the mental part.

Q. You are happy, someone who can enjoy with the public. I'm missing a little bit this connection, and to see you a little bit smiling.

JASMINE PAOLINI: I think this last tournament, I mean, this Wimbledon, I felt good on court. I felt good mentally. Today was not the best day maybe on court. At the same time it can be normal that not every match I'm at the top.

I will speak with my team. But the goal, as I said before, it's to have this kind of positivity on court, this kind of mindset, because I realize maybe -- I knew, I think already, but I realized this tournament that the mindset, it's too important in this sport. It's the engine for everything, yeah, the physical part, for the technical part.

That's the main goal, to feel like that for the rest of the season.