Francesca Schiavone
She smashed through a century of Italian tennis history with a ferocious one-handed backhand to claim an improbable French Open crown.
Born 1980 (age 46)·Italian tennis player·Birthday: June 23·Generation X
Biography
Francesca Schiavone’s career was a masterclass in late-blooming tenacity. For years, the Milanese fighter was a consistent presence on the WTA tour, known for her clay-court grit and an elegant, anachronistic one-handed backhand. Yet, it was at the age of 29, an age when many peers were winding down, that she authored her defining chapter. At the 2010 French Open, ranked 17th, she played the tournament of her life, her game a blend of artistic slices and powerful aggression. In the final, she dismantled Australia’s Samantha Stosur, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. The victory, celebrated with a ecstatic kiss to the Roland Garros clay, was less a surprise and more a testament to her unwavering self-belief. She followed it with another final appearance in Paris in 2011. Schiavone’s legacy is that of a pathfinder, proving that peak moments can arrive on one’s own schedule, and she remains the last woman to win a major using a one-handed backhand.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Francesca was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Francesca Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Francesca's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles championship.
- Reached a career-high world No. 4 ranking in singles in January 2011.
- Reached the final of the French Open again in 2011, finishing as runner-up to Li Na.
- Won eight WTA Tour singles titles over her career.
- Was a key member of the Italian Fed Cup team that won the championship in 2006, 2009, and 2010.
Did You Know?
She is a licensed helicopter pilot.
She famously kissed the clay court at Roland Garros after winning the 2010 final.
She defeated former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in a 4-hour, 44-minute marathon at the 2011 Australian Open, one of the longest women's matches in history at the time.
She made her Grand Slam debut at the 1999 US Open, losing in the first round to Serena Williams.
““I always believed. I always work hard. And tonight, I have the trophy.””
