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Sara Errani

Sara Errani at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

Country (sports)

Italy

Residence

Bologna, Italy

Born

29 April 1987 (age 38)
Bologna

Height

1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)

Turned pro

2002

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

Coach

Pablo Lozano Beamud (2004–2016, present)

Prize money

US$16,164,298

37th in all-time rankings

Official website

sara-errani.com

Singles

Career record

688–508 (57.53%) (57.5%)

Career titles

Highest ranking

No. 5 (20 May 2013)

Grand Slam singles results

QF (2012)

F (2012)

3R (2010, 2012)

SF (2012)

Other tournaments

Tour Finals

RR (2012, 2013)

Olympic Games

3R (2016)

Doubles

Career record

408–234 (63.55%)

Career titles

Highest ranking

No. 1 (10 September 2012)

Current ranking

No. 6 (10 February 2025)

Grand Slam doubles results

W (2013, 2014)

W (2012, 2025)

W (2014)

W (2012)

Other doubles tournaments

Tour Finals

SF (2012, 2013)

Olympic Games

W (2024)

Grand Slam mixed doubles results

2R (2025)

W (2025)

1R (2024)

W (2024)

Other mixed doubles tournaments

Olympic Games

QF (2024)

Team competitions

BJK Cup

W (2009, 2010, 2013, 2024)

Medal record


Representing Italy
Olympic Games
Gold	2024 Paris	Doubles

Sara Errani (born on April 29, 1987) is a famous tennis player from Italy. She is amazing at playing doubles, where two players team up. Sara is one of only seven women to have won a "Career Golden Slam" in doubles. This means she won all four major tournaments (called Grand Slams) and an Olympic Games gold medal in doubles!

She became the world's No. 1 doubles player on September 10, 2012. Sara has also won big tournaments in mixed doubles, playing with a male partner. She was also a finalist in singles, playing by herself. Her best singles ranking was No. 5 in the world on May 20, 2013.

Sara has won 9 singles titles and an incredible 35 doubles titles. This includes eight major tournament wins. She also won eight important WTA 1000 titles. And, of course, that Olympic gold medal! She holds the record for the most career titles won by any Italian tennis player.

When playing doubles, Sara first got into the top 10 on June 11, 2012. She stayed in the top 10 for 94 weeks in a row! She was also the No. 1 doubles player at the end of 2013 and 2014. In total, she has been the top-ranked doubles player for 87 weeks.

Her big year was 2012. At the Australian Open, she made it to the quarterfinals in singles. This was a big deal for her. She also made it to the doubles final. Sara is known for being great on clay courts. Before the 2012 French Open, she won three titles on clay. At the French Open, she reached the finals in both singles and doubles! She won the doubles title with her partner Roberta Vinci.

They also won doubles at the 2012 US Open. And they won the 2013 and 2014 Australian Open. When they won the 2014 Wimbledon doubles title, Sara and Roberta became only the fifth team ever to win a Career Grand Slam in doubles.

Later, Sara won the Olympics with Jasmine Paolini. This made her the seventh player to achieve a Golden Slam. She has won awards for being part of the best doubles team three times with Vinci. She also won it once with Paolini in 2024.

Sara also did well in singles at the 2012 US Open. She reached the semifinals there. The only Grand Slam where she hasn't reached the quarterfinals in singles is Wimbledon. She also made it to the semifinals at the 2013 French Open. And she reached the quarterfinals at other big events.

In 2017, Sara took a break from playing for ten months. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, she was special. She played in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. This was just like her fellow Italian player Andrea Vavassori. She and Vavassori have been great partners in mixed doubles. They won major titles at the 2024 US Open and 2025 French Open. These were the first times they played together in those events.

Sara Errani's Tennis Journey

Early Life and Training

Sara Errani was born in Bologna, Italy. Her dad, Giorgio, sold fruits and vegetables. Her mom, Fulvia, was a pharmacist. When Sara was 12 years old, her father knew she had a special talent for tennis. He sent her to a famous tennis school in Florida. It was called the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Later, at age 16, Sara moved to Valencia, Spain. There, she trained with coaches Pablo Lozano and David Andres. She worked hard to become an even better tennis player.

Starting Her Pro Career

First Steps (2002–2007)

Sara started playing in professional tournaments in 2002. Her first event was a $10,000 tournament in Cagliari, Italy. She mostly played on the ITF circuit. This circuit helps young players get started. Her best result in 2002 was reaching the semifinals in a tournament in Zaton. In 2005, she won her very first tournament in Melilla, Spain. She beat Lucia Jiminez in the final. This was a big step in her early career.

Winning First Titles (2008–2011)

In 2008, Sara won her first big WTA Tour title! This happened at a tournament in Palermo, Italy. She beat Mariya Koryttseva in the final match. Just two weeks later, on July 27, 2008, she won her second title. She defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues.

Sara Errani playing at the 2010 US Open

She also started winning in doubles. She picked up six doubles titles during this time. In 2009, Sara made it to the finals in two WTA tournaments. These were Palermo and Portorož. She was trying to win these tournaments again. That year, at the French Open, she played against Ana Ivanovic. Ana was the champion from the previous year. Sara lost that match. But three years later, she would beat Ana Ivanovic at the same tournament.

By 2010, Sara was consistently reaching the third round in most major tournaments (Grand Slams). The only one where she didn't was the French Open. There, she lost in the first round. Sara was also a key player for Italy's Fed Cup team. She helped her country win the Fed Cup in both 2009 and 2010. In February 2011, she reached the final of the Pattaya Open. But she lost to Daniela Hantuchová.

Her Amazing Year: 2012

The year 2012 was huge for Sara! It was when she became one of the top tennis players in the world.

New Racquet, Big Wins

At the start of 2012, Sara changed her tennis racquet. She switched from a Wilson to a Babolat racquet. Her new racquet was a bit heavier and longer. This helped her hit the ball with more power and reach further. Many people, including Sara, said this new racquet helped her play much better. She nicknamed it "Excalibur" (like King Arthur's sword!). In the first five months of 2012, she won three singles tournaments. She earned over $1.3 million!

Sara Errani at the 2012 New Haven Open at Yale

At the Australian Open, Sara reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. This was a big step for her. She beat several good players. These included Nadia Petrova and Zheng Jie. She lost to Petra Kvitová. Her world ranking jumped to No. 33. She then won a tournament on clay in Acapulco, Mexico. This was her third career title. She beat her Italian friends Roberta Vinci and Flavia Pennetta in the final matches.

Sara kept winning! At the Barcelona Ladies Open, she won her fourth career title. She did not lose a single set in the whole tournament. Her ranking went up to No. 28. She also won the Budapest Grand Prix in May. This was her third title of the year. It tied her with Roberta Vinci for the most titles won by an Italian woman in one year.

French Open Success

Her amazing run continued at the French Open. She beat former champions Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Then, she defeated Angelique Kerber. This was her first win against a player in the top 10. In the semifinals, she beat Samantha Stosur, the current US Open champion. This helped her reach her very first Grand Slam singles final! She played against Maria Sharapova in the final but lost. Still, this amazing performance helped her reach the No. 10 spot in the world rankings.

Besides her singles success, Sara and her partner Roberta Vinci were fantastic in doubles. They won six doubles titles together. These included big ones like the Madrid Open, the Internazionali d'Italia (in Rome), and the French Open! They also reached the finals at the Indian Wells Open and the Australian Open.

Wimbledon, Olympics, US Open

At Wimbledon, Sara had a tough match and lost in the third round. In July, she won another tournament in Palermo, Italy. This was her fourth title of the year! She then played in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She lost early in singles and mixed doubles. But she and Vinci reached the quarterfinals in women's doubles.

At the US Open, Sara played brilliantly. She beat Angelique Kerber again. Then she defeated her doubles partner Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals. This meant she reached the semifinals. There, she lost to the champion Serena Williams. Sara became the first Italian woman in the Open Era (since 1968) to reach the semifinals of the US Open. She was also the first Italian woman to reach at least the semifinals in two different Grand Slam tournaments.

To top it all off, Sara and Roberta Vinci won the US Open women's doubles title! Because of this amazing win, Sara became the world No. 1 doubles player on September 10, 2012. At the end of this incredible year, Sara played in the WTA Championships. This is a tournament for the top players. She played in both singles and doubles. She finished the year ranked No. 6 in the world in singles. What a year!

Reaching World No. 5 (2013)

Sara Errani playing at the 2013 French Open

Sara continued her success in 2013. At the Australian Open, she had a tough start in singles. She lost in the first round. But in doubles, she and Roberta Vinci won their third Grand Slam title together! They beat the Australian team of Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua in the final.

Sara reached the singles final at a tournament in Paris. But she lost to Mona Barthel. She and Vinci won another doubles title at the Qatar Ladies Open. A week later, in Dubai, Sara made it to the semifinals in singles. She even beat her partner Vinci. She lost in the final to Petra Kvitová. Then, at the Abierto Mexicano tournament, Sara won the singles title. This was her seventh overall!

She played very well at the Madrid Open. She reached the semifinals before losing to Serena Williams. She also made it to the semifinals at the big tournament in Rome (Internazionali d'Italia). Her strong performances helped her reach her highest singles ranking ever. She became world No. 5 on May 20, 2013!

At the French Open, Sara reached the semifinals in singles again. There, she lost to Serena Williams. In doubles, she and Vinci made it to the final. But they lost this time. For the second year in a row, Sara qualified for the Tour Championships. She played in both singles and doubles. This showed she was one of the best players in the world.

Completing the Doubles Grand Slam (2014)

Errani at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships

In 2014, Sara and Roberta Vinci continued to be an amazing doubles team. At the Australian Open, they won the doubles title again! This was their fourth Grand Slam title together. Sara also reached the singles final in Paris at the Open GDF Suez.

Sara had a big win at the Internazionali d'Italia (Rome). She beat Li Na, who was ranked No. 2 in the world. This was the first time Sara had beaten a player in the top 3! She made it to the final but lost to Serena Williams. At the French Open, she reached the quarterfinals in singles for the third year in a row. In doubles, she and Vinci made it to the final again.

The biggest moment of 2014 came at Wimbledon. Sara and Roberta Vinci won the Wimbledon doubles title! This was a huge achievement. It meant they had won all four Grand Slam doubles tournaments. These are the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. This is called a Career Grand Slam. They became only the fifth pair in tennis history to do this. Winning Wimbledon also put them back at the No. 1 spot in the world doubles rankings.

Sara also reached the quarterfinals at the US Open in singles. For the third year in a row, she and Vinci qualified for the Tour Championships in doubles.

More Singles Success (2015–2016)

Errani playing at the 2016 US Open

In 2015, Sara won the 2015 Rio Open singles title. She beat Anna Karolína Schmiedlová. This was her first singles title in two years. She also reached the semifinals at the Monterrey Open. Around this time, Sara and Roberta Vinci decided to take a break from playing doubles together. Sara wanted to focus more on her singles career.

In 2016, Sara won a very important singles title at the Dubai Tennis Championships. She beat Barbora Strýcová in the final. This was the biggest singles tournament she had ever won! After some tough matches in 2016, Sara finished the year ranked No. 50 in the world.

Coming Back Strong (2020–2021)

After some time away from the top levels, Sara worked hard to come back. At the French Open, she qualified for the main tournament. She reached the second round. In 2021, Sara qualified for the 2021 Australian Open. She made it to the third round. This was her best result in a Grand Slam for four years. She even beat the famous player Venus Williams in the second round!

At the 2021 Italian Open in Rome, Sara played doubles with Irina-Camelia Begu. They reached the semifinals. This was a great result. It helped her ranking in doubles go up a lot.

Olympic Gold and New Triumphs (2022–2024)

Errani playing at the 2024 French Open

Sara continued to show her skill and determination. In 2022, she won a doubles title with Irina Bara at the WTA 125 Argentina Open. She also won a singles title at the WTA 125 Contrexeville tournament. By March 2023, after winning an ITF title, Sara was back in the top 100 singles players in the world. This was for the first time in over four years! She also won another WTA 125 doubles title in Brazil with Léolia Jeanjean.

Partnering with Jasmine Paolini

Sara then started a very successful doubles partnership with another Italian player, Jasmine Paolini. In early 2024, they won the doubles title at the Linz Open. Sara also had some good wins in singles. This included her first win on an indoor hard court in many years. She showed she's still a fantastic clay-court player. She got her 194th win on clay. This is the most of any active player!

At their home tournament, the Italian Open in Rome, Sara and Jasmine Paolini won the doubles title. They beat the American team of Coco Gauff and Erin Routliffe. This was a huge win in front of their Italian fans! They then reached the final of the 2024 French Open doubles. This was another amazing achievement.

The biggest highlight came at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini won the gold medal in women's doubles! They defeated Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider in the final. This was a dream come true for Sara. It was a historic moment for Italian tennis.

US Open Mixed Doubles and Team Wins

At the US Open, Sara reached the third round in singles. This was her best result there since 2015. And in mixed doubles, she teamed up with Andrea Vavassori to win the title!

In October, Sara and Jasmine Paolini won another big doubles title at the China Open. They also qualified for the WTA Finals. This is the end-of-year championship for the best doubles teams. Sara helped Italy win the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup). She and Paolini won important doubles matches. This helped Italy become champions. To cap off an amazing year, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini were named the WTA Doubles Team of the Year!

A Final Big Title (2025)

In 2025, Sara and Jasmine Paolini continued their winning ways. They won their third big WTA 1000 doubles title together. This was at the Qatar Open.

Later that year, at the 2025 French Open, Sara played her last professional singles match. She decided to retire from playing singles tennis. This ended an amazing part of her career. She still planned to play doubles.

How Sara Plays Tennis

Sara Errani is known for being a very smart and skilled tennis player. For a few years, especially around 2012, she was famous for getting a very high percentage of her first serves in. This means she didn't miss her first serve very often. This is a big advantage. She is especially good on clay courts. These courts are made of crushed brick or stone. She has won many tournaments on clay. On these courts, she uses clever plans. She moves to the right spots quickly. And she often returns her opponent's serves very early. Because she's also a great doubles player, Sara is very fast on the court. She hits the ball with a lot of spin. This makes it tricky for her opponents. Her groundstrokes (shots hit after the ball bounces) are often deep. They also have a high loop, making them hard to return.