There’s a certain inevitability when a partnership works this well: eventually, it spills beyond the doubles alley. Jasmine Paolini has now made it official — Sara Errani, doubles foil, Olympic co-conspirator, and tactical savant, will join her coaching team for 2026. A natural extension of a duo that’s spent two seasons winning more than most pairs manage in a decade.
A Partnership Built for Paris — and Built to Last
When Paolini and Errani first teamed up, it was meant to be a one-cycle romance aimed squarely at the Olympics. Instead, they walked away with gold in Paris 2024, a Roland Garros trophy in 2025, and back-to-back WTA 1000 wins in Rome — the sort of résumé that renders retirement talk almost comic.
Errani admitted as much. She was supposed to stop after the medal. And yet: “We’re still here, playing. I said I would retire if I won a medal, but we’re doing so well that it’s hard to stop.” Hard to argue when you’ve helped deliver Italy’s first tennis gold in doubles and completed your own career Golden Slam in the process.
Paolini, for her part, realised the weight of what they’d done only after the dust settled. “When we won the medal, I understood its value in that moment. It’s totally different, it involves more people and more countries.”
Rome Roots and a Run of Results
Their bond has been shaped as much by place as by performance. Rome, especially, sits at the heart of their story. Paolini still speaks of her 2024 triumph there with a childhood glow: “One of the biggest victories of my life, because it’s Rome, the tournament I used to go to as a kid asking for autographs.”
Errani, ever the pragmatist, sees in Rome — and Doha and Beijing — a sweet spot of conditions that elevate their blend of grit, shape and court craft. It’s no coincidence they’ve hovered near the top of the rankings for two seasons, both currently perched at world No. 3.
Singles Surge Meets a New Tactical Mind
If the doubles success is glowing, the singles story may be even brighter. Paolini has climbed from world No. 4 in 2024 to No. 8 at the close of this season, armed with two WTA 1000 titles and two straight WTA Finals appearances. She’s become Italy’s axis in the Billie Jean King Cup, leading them to consecutive titles.
“I’ve grown as a player and as a person,” she said. “I have clearer ideas on court. I always try to move forward and forgive myself. Tennis forgets quickly.”
Next year, though, she won’t have to navigate the tactical fog alone. Errani steps into an official role: “I’ll have two people this year: Danilo Pizzorno and her, who will take care of the tactical part, which is on another level.”
One Foot in Coaching, One Still on Court
Crucially, Errani isn’t hanging up the racquet yet. The pair will continue in doubles throughout 2026. Their season begins at the United Cup, where Paolini will helm Italy’s singles charge, while Errani stands ready for mixed doubles alongside Andrea Vavassori — her partner in three mixed Grand Slam titles.
The future, then, isn’t a fork in the road but a merge lane: one of the WTA’s most decorated doubles players helping guide one of its late-blooming singles stars. The tactics were always sharp. Now they just come with a coaching badge.
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