It’s not often a player and their coach have emerged as champions in the same place, but Lilli Tagger and Francesca Schiavone have proven it can be done.
Tagger lifted the Roland Garros junior girls’ trophy last year – the same stage where Schiavone won her only Grand Slam title in the women’s draw, lifting the silverware in Paris in
On this week’s episode of The Sit-Down podcast, the Austrian shares what it means to have Schiavone in her corner.
“I think it’s amazing to have her by my side. She went through all the things I’m going through right now so she can help me a lot and everything, especially in the game style,” Tagger said.
Unlike most players on tour, Tagger uses a one-handed backband when she plays – another similarity with Schiavone.
“I felt more and more confident with one hand honestly, which is strange because I started to play with two hands,” she revealed.
Tagger’s solid coaching foundation has helped solidify her place on the WTA Tour – her 2026 campaign to show for it.
The first milestone came in her hometown of Linz. Entering as a wildcard, Tagger defeated Paula Badosa and Liudmila Samsonova to reach the quarterfinals. Despite falling to Anastasia Potapova, this result saw the 18-year-old break into the top 100 for the first time in her career, peaking at No.97.
“It was crazy actually because the match to break into the top 100 and get into the quarterfinals at home was quite a rollercoaster because it was very close in the second set,” she explained.
“I remember my family and a few friends were there. I think it’s very special. I didn’t expect that would happen so fast and also at home. I think it was one of the best weeks this year.”
Tagger’s ascent was far from over as less than four months later, she secured her first WTA title at the Prague Open – overpowering two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova and Daria Snigur’s en route to the crown. Following the triumph, Tagger rose to a career-high ranking of No.45.
Interestingly, her most prominent memory from the title-winning run came earlier in the tournament. It was only the week before that Sara Bejlek ended Tagger’s run in Athens. When the Tagger faced her again in Prague, it was the Austrian who came out on top.
“I’ve learned a lot from the previous week where I lost quite badly. I think it just showed me how important it is to learn from tough moments or matches where I lost and you can just learn a lot of things,” she recalled.
The world No.53 also achieved another career-first this year when she captured her first main draw victory at a major, overcoming Tamara Korpatsch in the opening round of the US Open.
Having experienced her first full year on the pro circuit, Tagger is ready to embrace what’s coming next.
“I think for the rest of the season, the thing that we’re working on right now is trying to stay in the present and accept all the things happening. The level is getting higher and higher, so trying to learn from every match and keep putting everything together as much as we can,” she said.
“And then of course, the preparation will start soon at the end of the year. We’ll take everything we can from this year and try to make it grow much as we can.”
Listen to the full episode of The Sit-Down, a weekly podcast released each Monday featuring an in-depth interview with a notable tennis identity. Subscribe in your favourite podcast player so you never miss an episode.
