Ahead of his first match on grass, Paolini plays it straight: "Accept that things will never be easy".

Just under a month ago, Jasmine Paolini probably had the tournament of her life at Roland-Garros. Irresistible, she made it all the way to the final, only to come up against a steadfast Swiatek (6-2, 6-1).

Now ranked number 7 in the world, the Italian will be playing on the surface that suits her least by far: grass. By way of comparison, last year she didn't win a single match on the surface (excluding qualifiers).

In all sincerity, she explains: "There are days when I want to cry and others when I enjoy it. I really remember some seasons on grass when I cried every day, and on the days when I didn't cry, I was still very sad.

One of the most important things when you arrive on this surface is to accept that things on will absolutely never be easy."