Diana Shnaider Russian Family Wanted Her To Go Pro Instead Of Pursuing College Tennis
Diana Shnaider comes from a Russian family previously based in Moscow. Shnaider settled in the US with her parents in 2022.
The tennis prodigy Diana Shnaider had two options with her, either to choose the college route or become professional. She and her family thought it would be better to choose the latter option, but quite the opposite happened, as the 2022 US Open Junior Doubles champion decided to join NC State Athletics.
The 18-year-old made her Grand Slam debut in the ongoing Australian Open 2023 as she breezed past the qualifiers and even defeated the 32-year-old Slovakian player Kristína Kučová in the first round.
The Russian player came face-to-face against the world rank no.6 Maria Sakkari last night and put up a tough fight against the Greek. Though she was defeated, one could only conclude that the 18-year-old has a bright future ahead of her.
Diana Shnaider Family
Diana Shnaider grew up with her family in Russia with her younger brother. They supported her tennis career before it took off in 2016.
A tennis prodigy, Diana is the older of two siblings, including her brother, who has previously accompanied his parents to his sister’s matches. The Shainders’ came to the USA in 2022 as Diana joined NC State on the recommendation of one of her mother’s friends.
In an interview with the YouTube channel of NC State Athletics, the 18-year-old talked about her plans. She cited that due to the current situation in her native land Russia it had been hard for her and her family as Russian players were having a hard time traveling worldwide.
Diana Shnaider Parents
Born to Russian parents in Moscow, Diana Shnaider was raised by a couple who thoroughly supported the youngster’s dreams from a very young age.
In the Tennis Forum, the users who have kept close eyes on Diana since 2016 have said they mostly see the tennis star’s father during the tournaments.
On one occasion in her match with the Swiss tennis player Valentina Ryser in 2019, some even caught a glimpse of Diana’s mother and her brother.
Even before coming to the USA, Diana had made a name for herself all over Europe for her tennis skills, but there still was hesitation in Diana and her parents’ minds about what the youngster should do.
Should she go pro or choose the college route? After much deliberation and help from NC State assistant coach David Secker, Diana chose the latter option. Secker was in constant talks with Diana’s mom during the whole ordeal.
Diana Shnaider College
Diana Shnaider joined as a freshman at North Carolina State University to further her tennis career.
Shnaider, who had set the junior stages of tennis tournaments alight with her powerful serving, was recommended by her mother’s friend to join NC State.
In the video posted by NC State Athletics, David Secker said when a woman approached saying she knew a girl who was a fabulous tennis player, the coach didn’t pay much heed as he had heard the same thing many times.
But once he saw Diana, he was convinced she was special, and the Russian native certainly hasn’t let down her tennis coaches. Since joining NC State, Diana reached the US Open Junior Semi-final round and won the doubles title.
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Currently, her commitment to choosing the college route instead of going pro has landed Diana in hot water regarding prize money. With her tennis wins, Diana has amassed a paycheck of $243,000.
But to bank the money, she will have to become a professional. Many tennis fans are divided on whether Diana should leave University and become a pro.
Some say that Diana is wasting her talent by playing players not on her level, and some have said she should not give up on top-notch US University and NCAA benefits.
Only time will tell whether the 18-year-old thinks of continuing her tennis career with NC State or decides to go fully professional and cause havoc in the tennis scene.
Diana Shnaider Height
Diana Shnaider stands at a height of 5ft 4 inches with a powerful left hand and has aggressive gameplay.
She is one of the tennis players who choose to wear a head scarf which has become her trademark style. It is quite normal for an athlete to be compared to their peers, and Diana has been compared to the likes of the Fruhvirtova sisters and Linda Noskova.
The older Fruhirotova sister, Linda who is a year younger than Diana, stands at an imposing 5ft 8 inches, and the Czech player, Noskova, at the young age of 18, stands at 5ft 10 inches.
But Diana has not let her physicality come in between her tennis skills and success on the court. Only last night, she gave a formidable competition to her much more vastly experienced opponent, Maria Sakkari.
Diana Shnaider Instagram
Diana Shnaider does not have an official Instagram handle but was present on the social media page a couple of years ago.
Shnaider was on Instagram in 2018 under the handle @shnaider9977.
Some of the fans on the Tennis Forum had previously linked Diana’s Instagram page to the forum but it is no longer available. The 18-year-old also had a Facebook handle but it has been inactive since 2017.
Her last post was her wearing the Russian jersey and showing her tennis wins, holding two trophies and since then the youngster has preferred to stay away from the social media site.
With her rising popularity and being crowned the next big female tennis star, Diana Shnaider might just make her return to social media. She has made her fans curious about her future decision whether to stay in college and go professional, so there’s no doubt she will have hundreds if not thousands of engagements on social media sites.
