Paris 2024 Olympics, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in celebration: it’s gold!

A stunning victory rewrites the history of Italian Olympic tennis.

Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini d'oro: the two Azzurri women won the women’s doubles final at the Paris 2024 Olympics on a tie-break, managing to prevail over the Russians (on court with neutral flag) Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider. It ended 2-6, 6-1, 10-7, in a comeback and after just under an hour and a half of play. For Paolini è the culmination of a sensational year, with finals won in singles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

The day of the Azzurri began with a thrill: in fact, in the lead of a set, the Russians Andreeva and Shnaider, thanks to the break that made it 3-1 and the one in the eighth game that closed the accounts. Errani and Paolini face the second set with a completely different attitude, taking the break immediately in the first game and then winning them all from the fourth to the seventh. At the tie-break they then manage to make the break pay off at 7-3, eventually taking a historic gold.

"I had the ball for the Olympics since I was little, it was my dream to participate, then it è became my dream to try to win a medal. For me, the Olympics è always been the ultimate, and winning it would be worth more than the Slam tournaments I won. I tried for many years, then I found Jasmine and infected her with my Olympic enthusiasm…. I have to thank her", Errani had declared after winning the final. Which, in the end, è was won giving Italy a sensational gold.

Italy won a total of 40 medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, setting a new record for the number of metals placed around its neck in a single edition of the Olympic Games. Standing on the highest step; top step of the podium in Japan were Marcell Jacobs – Men’s 100 meters, Gianmarco Tamberi – Men’s high jump, Massimo Stano – Men’s 20 km march, Antonella Palmisano – Women’s 20 km march, Men’s 4×100 relay – Lorenzo Patta, Marcell Jacobs, Eseosa Desalu, Filippo Tortu, Federica Cesarini and Valentina Rodini – Rowing, women’s lightweight doubles, Francesco Lamon, Simone Consonni, Jonathan Milan and Filippo Ganna – Cycling, men’s team pursuit, Luigi Busà – Karate, kumite -75kg and Vito Dell’Aquila – Taekwondo, -58kg.