Flavia Pennetta’s ready for second serve

“To finish my career by winning the US Open was something I never dreamt of. I couldn’t have asked for more to be honest,” Pennetta, who is representing Mumbai Tennis Masters in the CTL, said in an exclusive telephonic interview to this newspaper.

The retired player had one more surprise waiting for her before the start of the match. Her fiancé, Fabio Fognini, flew down to New York right before the title clash against compatriot, Roberta Vinci. “It was a great gesture by Fabio to fly down for the final and surprise me. He is the love of my life and for him to be there with me, at that moment, was just surreal,” the 33-year-old said.

Now that she has retired, what’s next? “For now, nothing. I would just like to put my feet up and rest. After January or February the feeling of a retired professional will sink in. Once that sinks in I shall decide to do something,” she said.

On her second innings in her personal life — she had a painful break-up with former tennis player Carlos Moya — she said, “Fabio has been wonderful. He has been there during my hard and best times. I owe a lot to him as well. He is such a sweetheart. He is caring and a wonderful person to be with.”

Flavia, who hails from Brindisi, the southern part of Italy, loves food and does not hold herself back from trying new cuisines. “I love food. Thanks to tennis I have travelled around the world and tried all types of food. Since I come from southern part of Italy, where we have spicy food, I have developed a taste for Indian food as well. But my favourite remains Italian,” the 2014 Australian Open quarterfinalist said.

Does the foodie cook as well? “Oh I love cooking. It is a stress-buster for me. At home, Fabio and I have a deal. He cooks breakfast while I take care of lunch and dinner,” she said.