Italy has a new sports star who continues the theme of some very successful Italian women in the sports scene: Francesca Schiavone.
Having won the 2010 French Open women’s final, the cheerful and incredulous young lady has become a role model for many of those who work hard at a dream that may never be realised.
And continuing his clever politics prior to Italy’s 2010 World Cup campaign, national football coach Marcello Lippi has nominated Francesca Schiavone the team’s new symbol.
He said: “Grit, passion, heart and class: her victory in Paris thrilled me and now she’ll have to be our symbol.
”Lippi’s take on Schiavone’s win is very true – it was a classy but tenacious win and certainly the Azzurri will need to take a leaf out of her book if they want to make their nation proud.
The only problem is that Lippi, and the team, are already considered virtually a write-off by the nation they represent and so whether nominating new heros or not works, we can only wait for the World Cup to find out.
Could Lippi be aiming for a moral victory already…?