SINGAPORE—Flavia Pennetta, who won her first Grand Slam singles title by defeating compatriot Roberta Vinci at the U.S. Open, says she has no plan to become a coach after she retires this year. The 33-year-old said she would like to become Fed Cup captain someday, but thinks that fellow Italian Francesca Schiavone deserves the honor more.
“I don't want to travel. I don't want to have the pressure,” Pennetta said about coaching. “We think when we are on the court we are just the one that are in the court, the one we fight, the one get tired. But the [truth] is we have with us like two person most of the time, the coach and the physio, the coach and the physical coach. The life for them, it's really tough. They are out. They don't spend time with the family. They have to be really calm all the time and try to be positive all the time. “It’s not easy to be the coach. I don't know if I have the ability to be a good coach.”
Pennetta added that she received phone calls from Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams following her victory in New York.
"It was 5 a.m. in Spain," she said in an interview with the New York Times. "I know Rafa since he was a kid. I was practicing in Mallorca when he was not Rafa Nadal, he was just Rafa."
Pennetta also said she received a call from Serena the next day, with the No. 1 having been defeated by Vinci in the semifinals, stopping her Grand Slam quest.
"Really special, I have to say. I know it was a bad time for her," said Pennetta, describing Williams saying, "Hey, baby—I’m so happy for you."
Pennetta also said she was happy to receive messages from many WTA players upon winning the Grand Slam title.