Beaten Lisa Pigato happy with Serena’s words of wisdom

 

When Lisa Pigato learned she would be playing her idol, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, on her WTA main draw debut, the Italian teenager needed some time to compose herself.

Talk about a baptism of fire. But even though Pigato, who had navigated qualifying to take her place in the Emilia-Romagna Open, succumbed to Williams on court, perhaps the most telling exchange occurred at the clash’s close of play.

In the immediate aftermath, Pigato asked Williams for a photograph which sparked a conversation between the two, with Serena using her post-match interview to further compliment and encourage her 17-year-old opponent.

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Williams suggested that Pigato “handled the moment well”, has a “super-bright future” and that from now on she would be “cheering for her”.

While Serena will be eying a Parisian title of her own bid during the next fortnight, so too is Pigato, who takes her place in the girls’ draw of the Roland Garros Junior Championships, which gets underway on Sunday.

There are clearly worse advocates to have in your corner, and it is those words from Serena, her newfound cheerleader, which are fuelling Pigato’s Junior Grand Slam ambitions.

“Hearing Serena, someone who has won 23 Grand Slam titles, saying such nice things about me was wonderful and it gave me so much confidence and security,” Pigato told itftennis.com.

“There was great emotion when I learned I was going to play her and it took me a while to get myself right – I grew up watching her matches on television. It was very exciting and I couldn’t wait to play.

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“I knew I was facing a very difficult opponent with incredible power, but I entered the field with the aim of winning, thinking point by point. Then, of course, we know Serena is very strong. There is only one Serena.

“But it was a wonderful experience and afterwards I started by telling her that it was an honour for me to play her. She then asked how old I was and complimented me on my qualification, attitude and play in my first WTA tournament.

“Now, I’m preparing for the Roland Garros Junior Championships in the best possible way.”