'Was a random one, honestly': Jasmine Paolini shares how she hired ex-coach of Rafael Nadal

Italy’s Jasmin Paolini has opened up about how she ended up hiring her new coach, Marc Lopez. The 42-year-old was hired by the Italian tennis star for the clay-court season in April. Lopez has previously worked with the former world number one Rafael Nadal.

Poalini has now been quoted in a report where she opened up about how she ended up hiring Lopez. The 29-year-old also stated that she did not know much about Lopez but was aware of the fact that he has been working with a legendary player like Nadal. "I don't know,” she said. “Was a random one, honestly," she said. "I talked to my agent and I said, Maybe we can try to call Marc. He said yes. He was the first we contacted, and that was great. Not really. Not really. I saw him, of course, traveling with Rafa. I didn't know him before, honestly."

Paolini further went on to state that in her opinion, she and her new coach are still in the process of getting to know each other. "At the moment it's great, you know? Not many tournaments. Not many days of practice because we are always in the tournament. The moment I'm feeling good with him. I don't know. We will see. But at the moment everything is fine," she said.

Lopez was quoted in a report by Tennis Tample last month, in which he stated that he wanted to work with Paolini to show that he could work with someone other than the legendary Nadal. He was also of the opinion that Paolini is already a ‘top player’, and he understands that his role is to help her improve so she can stay amongst the best in the world.

"Being with Rafa gave me incredible feelings, but this project is perhaps more ‘mine,’ with someone I don’t know,” he said. “It’s a new challenge and a new responsibility, working with a Top 10 player to prove to myself whether I’m truly a good coach. When I stopped playing tennis (in 2022), my first offer as a coach was to be part of Rafa Nadal’s team—imagine my luck. I was with him for three years, until the end of his tennis career. After that, I spent three months at home, until the opportunity came to work with a Top 10 player, a super joyful girl who only brings me positive energy. I feel lucky to have these opportunities. I want to take advantage of them and prove to myself that I can’t just coach Rafa. I know Jasmine is already at the top, but I want to work to improve her so she can stay there."