Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini has credited her Ghanaian heritage after becoming the first Italian to reach the Wimbledon final.
The Ghanaian-Italian advanced to her first Wimbledon final after defeating Croatian Donna Vekic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(8) on Thursday (11 July) in the longest women’s semi-final at the All England Club.
Paolini, who had never won a match at Wimbledon before this summer, is now one win away from lifting the Rosewater Dish.
While Paolini is not a Ghanaian by nationality, she has connections to West Africa. Her father, Ugo, is Italian, and her mother, Jacqueline, is of Polish and Ghanaian descent.
Paolini’s Ghanaian heritage comes from her maternal grandfather, who hails from Ghana but lives in Copenhagen.
She is known for her speedy game on the court, especially in her last two competitions
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The 28-year-old holds all parts of her heritage close to her and believes that her fast-paced trait is attributable to her Ghanaian descent.
“I am proud to have different blood in my body. Of course, I feel Italian because I was born in Italy. My mum is Polish, but my grandfather is from Ghana and I think I am fast because of Ghana,” she said at Roland Garros in June 2024.
Moreover, in an interview with BNPParibasOpen.com in May 2024, she said:
“Ghanaian, maybe I feel like I’m fast on court. And I think that part of my family helped me. Maybe from Poland, I have the determination, maybe. But of course, I also have the Italian energy. It’s a mix. And I’m really proud of it.”