Talking about Furlan’s influence to help her crack the top 10 following Roland-Garros, Paolini put it succinctly.
“He’s helped me understand myself, my feelings. Then match by match was getting better, and here we are,” she said with a chuckle, whilst also giving credit to her doubles partner and mentor Sara Errani.
“Of course, Sara is helping me a lot. Also playing doubles with her helps me a lot. I can ask her some advice. I think it’s a really smart person to have close. It’s something positive for me and my team as well.”
Errani, singles runner-up at Roland-Garros in 2012, asked Paolini to team up more regularly at RG23, where they fell in the second round. RG24 has been a different tale, with the pair reaching the final on Sunday with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback over Elena-Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostyuk.
“We connect well on and off the court. We are good friends and we talk a lot,” the 37-year-old said.
“Of course, I’m older than her. I’ve lived these situations in another time. I can help her understand the feelings, I can help her to manage the situation. It’s nice she has me to talk to.”