How does it feel to win the US Open, as explained by Flavia Pennetta A first-hand account, ten years after success at Flushing Meadows
On September 12, 2015, Flavia Pennetta became the second Italian tennis player to triumph in a Grand Slam tournament by defeating Roberta Vinci at Flushing Meadows in the US Open final. An extraordinary achievement that, 10 years later, Dao Sport reconstructs in detail thanks to Pennetta’s direct testimony: "The night before the final I cried. I cried for a long time, the whole day. It was a way to release the tension. Between one tear and another, I wandered around New York, strolling, wanting to let it all out. I was alone and so were the other members of my team, all separated, walking through the streets of the city that never sleeps."
Speaking of Roberta Vinci, who reached the final after a sensational victory against Serena Williams that prevented the American player from completing the Grand Slam, Pennetta points out: "Our first meeting happened when she was 8 years old and I was 9, and over time, our paths crossed many times. We were roommates at the Federal Center in Rome, then we lost touch and found each other again. If you like, from a certain point of view, the match was written, we knew what we were going into. Knowing the opponent so well, the match couldn’t really be tactical—it was like facing a mirror. What mattered most was the emotional baggage, it was all a matter of nerves: we had to accept that we weren’t going to play well. Indeed, it wasn’t a beautiful first set but I handled myself well in the tie-break, giving the match a clear direction."
Pennetta won that match in straight sets (7-6, 6-2), and the decisive point came with a forehand struck from the center of the court into the corner of the lines: "After the last shot I felt a sense of serenity that I still carry in my heart today. I was at peace with the world, perhaps that’s why, as people always pointed out, I didn’t celebrate in any particular way, I simply tossed that racquet in the air. The last shot at Flushing Meadows took me back in time, making me think of the whole journey, but above all of that little girl who, taking her first steps into the world of tennis, played with the red clay as if it were sand."
The real twist, however, came during the awards ceremony when Pennetta unexpectedly announced that she would retire at the end of the season: "To the me of back then, today—ten years later—I would say to enjoy that moment more, to live it with serenity, even in the most tense moments. Overall, I was and still am satisfied, after that final a whole new world opened up for me. Everything my coach had always asked me to do, over the years, suddenly seemed extremely easy and simple… Perhaps, afterward, I could have played a little longer. Of course, I also asked myself what might have happened, what I could have achieved if I had continued; playing at that level maybe I could have had a few more satisfactions. In the end, it’s fine this way, I never felt any kind of regret, I never believed it was a wrong decision."
There was only one moment when I thought I might return to the court: at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games. There was the need to present a women’s doubles pair and no duo could be formed, a shame considering the moment Italian tennis was experiencing. I told the President of the Italian Tennis Federation, Angelo Binaghi, and then-CONI President, Giovanni Malagò, that I was available: if necessary, I would have picked up the racquet again. Then, Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani reached an agreement and so my racquet remained hung up for good."
Ten years later, Pennetta’s triumph in New York still remains an extraordinary achievement in the eyes of all fans. A success that influenced entire generations of future tennis players: "I think that victory, as well as all the results achieved by me, by Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani, and Roberta Vinci, contributed to living through an incredible era of tennis with excellent players. Somehow, for women’s tennis, we broke a barrier and opened the eyes of many other players behind us who perhaps thought they weren’t capable of reaching certain goals. I feel like saying that our achievements motivated and inspired each other: it was a chain reaction."
