On many occasions, professional athletes have to keep their personal lives aside to focus on their game. But sometimes, deep personal losses and turmoils can be hard to ignore. Keeping this in mind, Italian tennis player Sara Errani’s round 1 victory at the French Open was quite special in more ways than one. This was the 36-year-old’s first appearance in the main draw of a major in 2 years. She was last seen in a Grand Slam main draw at the 2021 US Open. Errani came back to winning ways at the highest stage when she ousted Swiss Jill Teichmann from the first round of the French Open.

Having said that, her triumph against Teichmann will be remembered for another reason – the person she dedicated this victory to.

Sara Errani shares heartfelt tribute to deceased family member after French Open victory

The former world number 5 became emotional after her 3-6 6-4 6-2 victory over Jill Teichmann in the first round of Roland Garros. In her post-match interview, reported by UBITennis, she revealed that her grandmother had passed away the previous night and how difficult it was for her to be on the court in the wake of such an unfortunate event.

She said, “Yes, a difficult match, today was a difficult day. Tonight my grandmother passed away, I woke up with this news. Unfortunately it’s been a complicated day since this morning, but I still managed to get in, to fight, to stay there…and in the end I brought her home, I don’t know exactly how either. My grandmother used to watch all my matches, obviously this victory is for her.

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Errani was seen on the verge of tears and then blew a kiss to the heavens after the end of her match as a tribute to her late grandmother. This marks the Italian’s first win at a grand slam tournament since her 2021 Australian Open second round victory against Venus Williams.

Struggling Venus Williams Ousted by Sara Errani in 2nd Round of Australian Open 2021

Errani looks to make new memories and put past struggles behind her

The 2012 French Open finalist’s tennis career hasn’t been free from obstacles. In 2017, Sara Errani was suspended for 2 months by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) tribunal, which was later increased to 10 months, for failing a dope test. After returning to action, she suffered from sudden ‘yips’ that majorly affected her serve. The former world number 5 found herself languishing out of the top 100 in the WTA rankings. She hopes to exorcise all the ghosts of her past after making a triumphant return to grand slam tennis, a place where she clearly belongs.

Errani faces Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu in the second round of Roland Garros. Can she overcome her heartbreaking personal loss and advance further in the tournament?

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