Former US Open champion Flavia Pennetta selected as torchbearer for upcoming Winter Olympic Games

The XXV edition of the Winter Olympic Games will take place exactly two months from now, and host nation Italy has announced the names of the first torchbearers who will have the honor of transferring the Olympic flame from Rome to Milan.

The Olympic torch relay will feature 10,001 torchbearers, with the Olympic flame departing from Rome on December 6, 2025. The route will end at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, during the Opening Ceremony on February 6th, 2026.

Several well-known faces in the world of Italian sports and entertainment have been chosen to participate in the Olympic relay. Amongst them is former tennis star Flavia Pennetta, who enjoyed a successful career on the WTA tour before retiring in 2015.

The 43-year old shocked the tennis community when she won the US Open in 2015, defeating Grand Slam champions Sam Stosur, Petra Kvitova and second seed Simona Halep en route to the title. Pennetta would face compatriot Roberta Vinci in the final, scoring a straight sets victory over her childhood friend to win her only major title.

Numerous popular figures in Italian culture have also been selected

Pennetta will be joined by eclectic singer Achille Lauro and two-time MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia. Additionally, the father and son duo of Andrea and Franco Antonello, who have inspired thousands via their autism awareness, have also been chosen as torchbearers.

Joining them are Dario Pivirotto, who was a torchbearer for the Cortina 1956 and Turin 2006 Olympic Games, and Lucia Tellone, a chef from Abruzzo who revived her town's community bakery, which had been closed for 35 years. In exactly one month, the identities of other torchbearers who will accompany the Olympic Flame for Italy will be revealed as the event draws nearer.

Pennetta announced her retirement after she won the 2015 US Open, stating the WTA Finals would be her final tournament. The former World No.6 would eventually tie the knot with compatriot and ATP star Fabio Fognini in 2016, with the two having three children soon afterwards.