French Open 2024: Who Is the Former Roland Garros Champion Sitting in Jannik Sinner’s Box?

Italy  is undergoing a tectonic shift in tennis and the phenomenon who is leading this change is Jannik Sinner. Sinner, who has been knocking at the doors of a grand slam win, finally got his due earlier this year at the Australian Open, where he stunned the likes of Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev to clinch the title.

Since then, it has been the Sinner wave that the tennis world has been riding on. With hard-courts being his most suited surface, Jannik ruled over his peers but clay presented a different challenge. Add to this an unfortunate hip injury that threatened his participation at Roland Garros. However, the fighter that he is, Jannik managed to make it to Paris and reached the fourth-round where he faces the in-form Corentin Moutet.

During this match, cameras spotted one tennis legend cheering from Jannik’s box beside coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi. She is a legend of clay herself and won the French Open back in 2010. In a star-studded draw, the WTA legend had to overcome the likes of Caroline Wozniacki, Elena Dementieva, and Samantha Stosur to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title.

In this process, she became the first-ever Italian woman to win a major for her country. She is Francesca Schiavone, the retired WTA star who remained a tricky opponent to peers, especially on clay.

Now, Schiavone gets spotted in Sinner’s box obviously rooting for her young compatriot to win and make it to the quarters.

Francesca Schiavone: Her battle with cancer and life post retirement

Schiavone’s presence shouldn’t come off as a surprise as she has been vocal about her praise towards Jannik. Ever since 2021, the Italian legend maintained that Sinner will be a Grand Slam champion one day and that prophecy turned out to be true three years later Melbourne.

With an extremely unique technique, Schiavone is the last woman since Justine Henin to win a major possessing a one-handed backhand.

Having retired from the sport in 2018, Schiavone revealed to the world in 2019 that she just beat cancer in an emotional message to fans. Doctors detected a malign tumour and in Francesca’s own words, it was the toughest battle she ever had to face.

Unlike other tennis legends, Francesca Schiavone opted for a different career post retirement. According to report, she currently runs a Bistro in her hometown Milan alongside her Brazilian model girlfriend. She calls Sifa Bistrot, a shared dream between her and partner Silene.

Despite moving away from the tennis world, it’s really good to see a former champion attending Jannik Sinner’s match and cheering him on with all heart.