Anna Kalinskaya, Parisian backstory for Jannik Sinner's former partner: new boyfriend forced to leave the stands

Paris can be romantic, unpredictable, and sometimes a little loud. Even when it comes to tennis. This was well discovered by Anna Kalinskaya, the protagonist of one of the most curious behind-the-scenes events of this Roland Garros: an episode involving her new boyfriend, Argentine Tomas Ferrari (with whom she is back together after the end of her relationship with Jannik Sinner) and … her dachshund Bella.

The Muscovite tennis player, 27, experienced an intense tournament: first the quarterfinals, equaling her best career result in a Slam, then the unexpected defeat against the surprising Polish Maja Chwalinska, number 114 before the tournament (potentially in the Top 20 at the next update), coming from the qualifiers. But the most special moment came in the previous round, the one she won against Anastasia Potapova at the end of a battle decided by a spectacular final tie-break.

At the end of the match, in fact, Bella came down to the court to celebrate her mistress, snatching smiles from the audience. On the other hand, her presence was authorized, the organizers having granted special accreditations for pets, allowing players to bring along their four-legged companions for some emotional support during the two weeks in Paris. In reality, however, Bella had not been able to watch the entire match, as Kalinskaya herself told ‘Tennis Channel’.

“Our dog barked throughout the first set, at one point she did so while I was hitting the ball, thus conceding a point. So my fiancé was forced to leave the stands, he only came back at the end of the match.” It was a situation the organizers had anticipated: as reminded by Kildine Chevalier, player support manager, dogs can only stay in the pits if they do not bark. A rule Bella had evidently not read.