“Gold, gold!!!!”, wrapped in the white, red and green tricolour, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini scream with joy. At Roland Garros, the happiness of the Italian doubles explodes at the end of the super tie-break, which works like this: with the score of a set all, whoever reaches ten points first wins. The Italians, gold medalists at the 2024 Paris Olympics, reach ten first. Second place goes to the Russians, under a neutral flag, Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, defeated 2-6 6-1 10-7 after an hour and 24 minutes of play.
The first gold in the history of Italian tennis arrives on the first Sunday of August 2024, one hundred years after what, until these Games, was the only Italian medal in the racket sport, the bronze won by Count Uberto De Morpurgo in 1924, right in Paris. This time, however, from the French capital, Italian tennis returns home with the gold in the women’s doubles and the bronze of Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles: an excellent haul that perhaps, if there had been world number 1 Jannick Sinner, who instead withdrew due to tonsillitis, could have been even more sparkling. But the Italian fans present in the stands of the Philippe-Chatrier court are only interested in shouting “Thank you girls!” Packed for the epic final of the men’s singles that gave the first Olympic gold to Nole Djokovic and the silver to the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, on the centre court of Roland Garros there are now many empty spaces and many Italian flags. It doesn’t take much, however, to understand that it won’t be an easy afternoon. Despite Sara Errani showing all her skill in volleys at the net, the Russians dominate the match from the first exchanges. In a few minutes the score goes from 1-1 to 4-1 for Andreeva and Shnaider. It is in particular the left-handed Shnaider who hurts the Italians with her serve and forehand. But it is above all the errors from the baseline by Paolini that keep the Italians from entering the match. Trailing 5-2, there is also the scare of the medical time out requested by Errani for a groin problem. Not even the time to return to the court and the Russians score another break, decisive for the victory of the set (6-2). During the interval, the speakers of Roland Garros blast out Umberto Tozzi’s “Gloria”, but in the first three points of the second set the music doesn’t change: 40-0 on Andreeva’s serve. And, instead, suddenly, the match turns upside down with the Russians making mistakes. Paolini shows off his best shots and the Italians find the understanding of the best days. Here it is, the blue pride: finally Errani and Paolini get into gear. And here it is, also the first smile of Sara and Jasmine. A very long exchange gives the 3-1 to the Italians, a double Russian fault the 4-1.
Andreeva “remembers” that she is only 17 years old and begins to string together error after error. The Italians dominate: it goes to the super tie-break. And the “Po po po po po po” chosen by the Roland Garros DJ promises only good things. Errani and Paolini start well, they get to 8-5, then the great fear of 8-7, but it is only a moment. It is 10-7: the Italian rackets fly in the sky of Paris, Sara and Jasmine embrace. “A crazy victory, a unique emotion”, their first words, synchronized, a bit like their movements on the court in the second set and in the super tie-break. And now the only notes that resonate at Roland Garros are those of the Mameli Anthem.
“This final is crazy for how it went: we started the first set badly, then we were there and somehow we pulled it up. It was tough but we are really happy”: this is what Sara Errani said to the microphones of discovery+, after having won a historic gold for Italy at the Olympics, defeating the pair of Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, Russian tennis players who competed as “Neutral Individual Athletes” (AIN) in the doubles with Jasmine Paolini. It was the super tie-break, which ended 10-7 in favor of the Italians, that decided the final. “It was really difficult – admitted Paolini -. I entered very tense and was struggling, then the tension went away a little and we started playing better. It was tough but we are very happy. Truly a unique emotion”