Paolini can't believe it: "It's been a crazy few months for me (laughs)".

Jasmine Paolini never ceases to surpass her limits. Prior to this year, she had never made it past the 2nd round at a Grand Slam and had never been ranked higher than 29th in the world. At 28, she already seemed to have reached her maximum potential, and no one expected her to go much higher.

After reaching the Round of 16 at the Australian Open in January, she will play in her second consecutive Grand Slam final at Wimbledon on Sunday, following on from the French Open. Next Monday, she will make her debut in the Top 5 of the WTA rankings, and would even come within 158 points of Elena Rybakina's world No. 4 spot if she were to win the tournament. Crazy is the right word.

Jasmine Paolini: "It's been a crazy few months for me (laughs). I've yet to realize it, I think. But, I don't know, I'm just trying to focus on what I have to do on the court. Enjoy what I'm doing, because I love playing tennis. It's fantastic to be here and playing on this court. It's like a dream.

I used to watch the Wimbledon final on TV when I was a kid and up until this year. I just enjoy it and live in the present. That's my way of thinking. But I also think the last few months have been crazy for me (laughs)."