When I was a kid, tennis wasn’t as popular in Italy as it is now.
Soccer has always been the number one sport in our country and people live for it.
Currently, the popularity of tennis has not caught up with soccer.
After I reached the singles final at Roland Garros last year, and then the same final at Wimbledon, the amount of attention I received started to increase significantly.
But the biggest difference I felt was after winning the gold medal for Italy in doubles at the Olympics.
It was really crazy when I moved back to Italy from Paris. I can’t go out because of all the attention! No, I’m just kidding, but it was really intense.
When I was out on the street, a lot of people came up and said something about the gold medal.
I felt like tennis fans weren’t the only ones who recognized me now.
When I reached the finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, it was tennis fans who stopped me for pictures, but the gold medal was much more global.
Although you don’t need to hire a security guard yet!
Sometimes people shake my hand, sometimes they hug me and say, “Please, I want to kiss you.”
Older women in their 60s and 70s come up to me and tell me they love me.
