Exclusive: Top 20 debutante Diana Shnaider on her best surface, future aspirations, and dreams about tennis
An interview with the Russian, who is through to the second week of a slam for the first tiume in her career
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A 20 year-old at No 18 in the world, she has won three titles on three different surfaces this year. Still, it seems that people are yet to get to know Diana Shnaider the way they should. But after reaching the fourth round of the US Open – her first time in the last 16 of a slam – they will be hearing an awful lot more about her now.
The Russian, born in Zhigulevsk, picked up tennis at the age of four, and moved to Moscow to pursue it more seriously four years later. In 2022, she enrolled at North Carolina State University, but she became increasingly good and decided to focus on her professional tennis career.
Known for playing with a bandana on her head (“I’ve got red, yellow, light blue, pink, dark blue”, she said once), Shnaider is due to make a splash on the biggest stage, at one of the Grand Slams. Shnaider is yet to make it past the third round of a major. In New York, she is due to play Clara Tauson in the second round.
“My goal was to be in the top 20 by the end of the year. I did expect it, but you still need to work and to achieve it. It happened earlier and now I will work harder.”
In an interview with Tennis Majors, Shnaider also spoke about her coach Igor Andreev (former world No 18), the feeling of victory, what she needs to work on, her music taste and “me time”, as well as many other topics. Here are the best bits.
What is it that you love the most about tennis life so far and what is it that you find hard to adjust to?
Diana Shnaider: I just like tennis, playing tennis! The most enjoyable thing, of course, is to win, but still – all the great matches against quality opponents are what we are fighting for.
The hardest thing is the travel itself, not spending too much time at home. I was just talking to my family about whether I don’t know when I will have a normal New Year’s eve for instance, just to spend it with my family, birthdays too… On the other hand, this is the life we chose, we wanted to be here.
You have been working with Igor Andreev since the start of the grass season – what is it that you look for in a coach, how does the communication work?
Diana Shnaider: Igor was the right fit at the right time. We are working a lot on my negative thoughts on the court. He has much experience as a player, so there are a lot of moments where he can relate to how I’m feeling on the court. He has sound advice that helps me.
If you’re being negative on yourself, he’s trying to lift you up. Can you give me an example?
Diana Shnaider: I am just being negative if I’m making errors. We are all people, we’re not robots, but sometimes for me it’s hard to realise that it’s OK to make errors, that I should just keep going. Igor is teaching me that it’s the way to get better, and the importance of staying focused throughout the match and fighting for every point.
Mentally, I feel it’s important to realise that sometimes you can lose just because the opponent was better than you on a given day, not necessarily because you’ve done something wrong. That’s the hardest thing to accept.
And tennis-wise?
Diana Shnaider: We’ve been working on the serve a lot. Also, my shot selection in certain situations and from different positions on the court. We’re making small adjustments, it’s not like we’re working like crazy on altering my technique or something like that. At such a high level, small adjustments can make a huge difference.
Dominic Thiem said the other day that the feeling of winning a big match is “like being on drugs a little bit”. How is that feeling for you?
Diana Shnaider: For sure! Especially if the match is long and tough, if it’s an opponent you’ve never beaten before, then the feeling is amazing. It’s like this cocktail of emotions – you feel joy and relief like “oh, I just did that!”. It feels great.
Let’s have people meet the other ‘off the court’ side of you a bit – what kind of music do you listen to for instance?
Diana Shnaider: My music taste is very open. I have all types of music that I listen to, especially on the flights, but in the car too, since in New York the drive to the club is long (laughing). It could be anything – rock, pop, it could be a sad song. It depends on the mood I am in. I like watching TV shows and movies or just walking around listening to music.
Most of the time, I just like to relax and chill on my bed by myself. In the tennis world, we are surrounded by a lot of people every day, so I just want some time to unwind, to find time for myself when nobody is watching me. That is how I recharge.
You’re a leftie. Were there any particular lefties that you looked up to?
Diana Shnaider: Hmm… Rafael Nadal is a leftie, but we don’t have similar playing styles. There were not a lot of lefties when I was growing up, so there was not a particular player. Of course, I looked at Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, but I don’t remember lefties. Remind me.
Petra Kvitova, maybe?
Diana Shnaider: Yes, I was very excited to play against her last year. She is a great player, Kerber as well, but I grew up watching men’s tennis mostly.
What is the first big match that you remember watching on the screen?
Diana Shnaider: I can’t quite remember, but somewhere in my mind – now that you ask me – I think Davydenko was playing. To be honest, I wasn’t watching that much tennis growing up, because I never thought that I am going to be in this position one day. Then tennis slowly became the thing for me, so then I started watching more.
What are your long-term goals, have you spoken to Igor about that?
Diana Shnaider: Not yet, but the long-term goal is just to stay healthy and to stay at the top of the game for as long as I can. In order to stay healthy, I need to eat healthy, be responsible towards recovery and fitness, and sleep well. There is nothing else you can do, just to treat your body the way you should, because tennis requires a lot of effort.
Also, mentally you need to stay fresh as long as you can, to keep a positive attitude towards tennis.
You won titles on three different surfaces this year, which one do you feel suits you the most?
Diana Shnaider: First title, on hard, felt insane, just a huge win (Hua Hin). Bad Homburg was unbelievable because I thought I wasn’t that good on grass, but I played some terrific matches I really enjoyed playing. And then Budapest was special, because I overcame some tough moments mentally – I felt tired in the first match, lacked emotions, but then I pushed through that match and it became easier.
So, if you asked me this question two years ago, while I was playing juniors, I would definitely say that clay is my favorite surface. Nowadays, I don’t know, I want to be the best version of myself on all surfaces.
Lastly, a funny question – do you ever dream about tennis?
Diana Shnaider: Oh – yes, of course! Sometimes, when I am not at a tournament and I am trying to relax, I have dreams about tennis and tournaments. So, when I wake up, I say to myself: ‘We are resting, Diana, no tournaments right now even in your mind. Keep it cool.’ (laughing).
