Former world No.1 Dinara Safina is stepping again onto the tennis stage as the brand new coach of Russia’s Thirteenth-ranked Diana Shnaider. The 21-year-old rising star made the announcement on Instagram, expressing pleasure and hope about this new partnership forward of her upcoming match in Stuttgart, which kicks off on April 14th.
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“I am excited to announce that Dinara Safina is joining my team as my new coach. The past few months, I have been searching for a partnership like this that I am confident will be great for me both on and off the court. Dinara is obviously a legend, and I am thrilled to see what we can do together,” Shnaider shared.
Shnaider, a former standout at North Carolina State College, had been coached by her father Maxim following her break up from former coach Igor Andreev. Her rise on the Hologic WTA Tour has been spectacular, and the addition of Safina indicators a severe intent to interrupt into the High 10 and past.
Safina’s comeback to tennis in a training function
For individuals who adopted ladies’s tennis within the late 2000s, Dinara Safina wants no introduction. Identified for her physicality, consistency from the baseline, and fierce competitiveness, the youthful sister of ATP’s Marat Safin was as soon as a formidable power on tour. She reached the world No.1 rating in April 2009, claimed 12 WTA titles, and made it to 3 Grand Slam singles finals. Regardless of by no means capturing a serious singles title, Safina’s resume features a silver medal on the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a US Open doubles championship in 2007.
Now, after greater than a decade away from aggressive tennis, Safina is returning to the tour in a mentorship function. It’s a transfer that feels lengthy overdue—not just for Safina herself, who has publicly shared her struggles with post-retirement despair and lack of id—but additionally for the game, which stands to learn vastly from her knowledge and expertise.
Safina’s life after retirement: Struggles with despair
In an emotional interview with Behind the Racquet in 2019, Safina opened up about life after tennis:
I believe this occurs very often to gamers after they retire, they battle with despair. One of many principal causes is since you go from enjoying on tour, the focal point, to only one other individual. After I was primary on this planet, everybody was gathering round me… now it looks as if many don’t actually care.
Regardless of these challenges, Safina by no means misplaced her love for the game. She has lengthy expressed curiosity in teaching, stating again in 2019:
I nonetheless don’t see myself coming again on tour like Kim Clijsters or Tatiana Golovin, however I can undoubtedly see myself teaching and sharing my experiences with one other participant.
That point has now come—and Diana Shnaider is the fortunate recipient.
Shnaider x Safina: A promising duo
The pairing of Shnaider and Safina is intriguing. Shnaider brings youthful vitality and fierce competitiveness to the desk. She’s a participant on the rise, already breaking into the High 15 and exhibiting no indicators of slowing down. Safina, then again, provides tactical depth, wonderful approach, and the invaluable perspective of somebody who has been to the very prime of the game.
Their collaboration begins on the crimson clay courts of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart subsequent week. It’s becoming—Safina was at her greatest on clay, reaching two French Open finals and mastering the lengthy rallies and tactical nuances the floor calls for.
“My parents and little brother are my biggest supporters in the whole world and I am grateful for their continued support and love – Dinara and I will see you all on the red clay!” Shnaider concluded in her Instagram publish.
Safina’s comeback: A full-circle second and legacy revival
For followers of Dinara Safina, this teaching comeback is a long-awaited subsequent chapter in a narrative that was left frustratingly unfinished. Pressured into early retirement as a consequence of power again accidents, Safina’s profession ended earlier than its time. Her final match was in Madrid in 2011 towards Julia Goerges, a quiet farewell to a participant who as soon as rivaled Serena Williams for the No.1 spot. Her official retirement occurred in 2014.
There’s one thing poetic in her return by teaching. It’s a full-circle second that provides not simply redemption, however legacy. If she can assist Shnaider attain the heights she as soon as touched—and even surpass them—Safina’s story will achieve an inspiring new layer. With Diana Shnaider by her aspect, this may very well be the beginning of one thing very particular.
