As an Italian, Jasmine Paolini could be expected to have strong opinions on food and drink.
So after Iga Swiatek and ATP No.8 seed Alex De Minaur stirred up a debate at the Australian Open over where to find the best coffee, it made sense that on-court interviewer Laura Robson turned to Paolini for the final say following her second-round win over Renata Zarazua.
Earlier, Swiatek had drawn outraged gasps from the Rod Laver Arena crowd when — utterly failing to heed the warning from interviewer Jelena Dokic to “be careful what you say here” — she had declared that “in Sydney, I found better coffee shops” than those in Melbourne.
The No.2 seed tried to walk it back, saying she “didn’t do the right research” on account of reducing her coffee consumption during Grand Slams. Swiatek also tried to turn it into a compliment to all Australian coffee.
“Overall, in Australia it’s hard to get wrong coffee,” she said. “Every coffee shop keeps really great quality.”
That’s the line a more diplomatic De Minaur ran with, too. Declining to choose between Melbourne and Sydney, he opted for the safety of patriotism.
“There’s no better place for coffee than Australia,” De Minaur said to cheers from his home crowd.
Paolini had no such qualms. On being asked whether Australia had the best coffee in the world, she was unable to hold back. The immediate change to her normally bubbly facial expression was a giveaway, but Paolini went on to speak her truth anyway.
“Hmm … not really! We drink espresso. For us, it’s tough to drink coffee here.”
