The 2010 Roland Garros champion and former world number four gave Flashscore an exclusive interview.
When Francesca Schiavone talks about tennis, you can feel her energy. At the same time, she radiates calm and has a tremendous overview. It’s clear she’s nurturing the young Austrian with huge potential patiently, wisely, and with incredible passion. Simply put, she’s the right person in the right place.
Even before the end of her rich playing career, she was already thinking that her journey in tennis shouldn’t end with her last match point.
“I felt it. Even before I stopped playing, I sensed I was ready to pass on my experience. To build an academy, to teach kids how to connect with tennis and express themselves through it,” the passionate Italian recalls.
The latest fruit of this philosophy is Lilli Tagger, the newly crowned champion of the Livesport Prague Open. In fact, she found her coach herself. She came to Schiavone’s academy in Varese for a trial, planning to stay just a few days. But their partnership has now lasted two and a half years.
What’s most fascinating about Tagger is her mentality. While many tennis players are pushed into the professional world by parents or their surroundings, the young Austrian took her fate into her own hands.
Her strong mindset was evident at the Prague tournament, where she handled a tough match against Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova and the crowd, who naturally supported the home player.
“She has a huge personality. Considering how young she was when she decided to leave home and chase her dream, she’s earned everything on her own,” Schiavone says admiringly of her protege.
“She’s a hard worker. She enjoys the work, listens, and understands the bigger picture,” she adds.
Off the court, Lilli also has a great support system. She shares the same management as men’s world number one Jannik Sinner, and they even have the same agent, Alex Vittur.
“Yes, they know each other, they’re friends. Sometimes they even train together. It’s a huge opportunity for her, and she’s very lucky to be able to spend time with him and talk to him. But the main drive comes directly from her,” Francesca confirms.
Not chasing results
What makes Schiavone stand out as a coach is her systematic and mature approach. She doesn’t get carried away by immediate success and refuses to put pressure on her player just to climb the rankings quickly or to play prestigious tournaments.
She made this clear when discussing the upcoming American swing and the US Open: “The truth is, after a tough month that Lilli went through, I considered canceling the American tour. Because it’s crucial that she approaches everything with real value.
"When she’s truly ready to compete, to improve, to be healthy, and to be part of the development process - instead of just chasing results,” Schiavone explains her clear philosophy.
“I was ready to say: ‘No, we’re not going.’ But now an opportunity has opened up, and Lilli herself will decide whether she wants to go to America. In just a week, she managed to put together a lot of things she couldn’t grasp before. She’s grown into it,” the coach suggests, indicating that the Prague tournament can’t be judged by results alone.
The legendary Italian player knows that she and her young protege still have a long road ahead, and that every step must be built on a solid foundation.
“The hardest and most important thing is that Lilli absorbs things, learns, and, most importantly, wants it herself. She’s very smart. Once she understands something, she goes after it. But everything has its time - we can’t expect too much from her.”
Why are Italy on top?
Schiavone herself was at the start of the great golden era of Italian tennis, winning the Fed Cup three times and triumphing at Roland Garros in 2010. Today, Italy is a tennis powerhouse. And the former world number four explains why that might be.
“When you have a world number one, it pulls everyone along. Every young player suddenly thinks: ‘Why not me?’” Francesca explains the psychological effect of Sinner’s current success.
The second reason, she says, is purely practical and economic. “In Italy, we have a huge opportunity to play lots of home tournaments from the youth categories up. Thanks to tournaments at home, you don’t have to spend so much on travel, and young players get a chance to go down the right path, even if they don’t have unlimited financial resources.”
There’s another unique detail about the young Austrian’s game that catches fans’ attention - her one-handed backhand. In today’s women’s tennis, it’s a rare shot. But Schiavone denies that it’s her influence, even though she used it herself.
“No, no, she already played like that when she came to me. She decided to play that way herself, probably around age 12,” Francesca smiles, then goes into a detailed analysis.
“Of course, we have to fine-tune the details. The feet need to be there a bit earlier, we have to mix in the slice, the flat shot, and the topspin. There are a lot of options on one side, so it’s complicated. But Lilli loves that shot and has a great feel and talent for it.”
Inspired by Czech tennis
Even though Tagger has just celebrated the biggest success of her career at the threshold of adulthood, Schiavone refuses to rush anything. Everything has its time and system. In the team, where former player Lorenzo Frigerio complements the technical side, they rely on open dialogue.
“Not before, but now it’s all about dialogue. I ask her: ‘What do you think? What’s best for you? How can we improve this?’ It’s teamwork,” Schiavone describes.
“The most important thing is for her to keep learning, stay healthy, and keep developing. The process is always more important than immediate results.”
The Milan native also has great respect for the environment where this new title was won. She’s been closely observing how things are done in the Czech Republic and doesn’t hide her enthusiasm.
“You know, I walked around the courts here in Prague and watched the local kids training. I really like the Czech technical school - I absolutely love it. I’ve been watching your system for a long time and would love to learn even more details about it.
"I like how your players hit the ball, how cleanly they accelerate, and the feel they have - just like Muchova or Krejcikova. I’m trying to pick up a few things myself,” she paid tribute to Czech tennis.
And how does the champion herself enjoy her role on the bench? “I’m calm! There are no nerves, I don’t have to run and sweat on the court anymore, I just sit and tell her what to do,” she laughs.
“I only get nervous when Lilli isn’t doing what she’s capable of, or when she strays from her path. If she leaves everything on the court and plays her game, losing doesn’t matter.”
Schiavone knows the journey is just beginning. And even though Tagger has already won her first adult title as a teenager, she smiles and declines to talk about the future. “She’s young, talented. But we have to be realistic.”