Diana Shnaider sourced inspiration from Jannik Sinner’s defeat to beat Aryna Sabalenka at Roland Garros this year.
Shnaider beat Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 7-5, 6-0, which included her winning the last 10 consecutive games against the world number one.
This enabled the 22-year-old to achieve the best Grand Slam result of her career, with Shnaider then losing to Maja Chwalinska in the Roland Garros semi-finals.
After having a couple of weeks to reflect on her run in Paris, Shnaider has revealed what was going through her mind going into the match against Sabalenka.
Diana Shnaider admits she did not think she could beat Aryna Sabalenka
Shnaider appeared on the latest edition of the Nothing Major Podcast, where she was asked if she felt like she felt she could beat Sabalenka when walking on to Court Philippe-Chatrier.
While the world number 16 admitted that she did not believe she could beat Sabalenka heading into the match, Shnaider started to have more faith as she hit more freely when trailing 4-1 and 5-3 in the second set.
“I definitely was not believing that I can beat her before the match at all…there was no such feeling for me!” exclaimed Shnaider.
“Honestly, I was losing like 4-1 and 5-3, it was very tough conditions with the wind and everything. I feel like in the first set I was very annoyed, just like with the situation overall.
“Because I was warming up with a closed roof, we were actually supposed to share it with Aryna and then I didn’t see her and I was like ‘What is happening?’. And then when we were finishing the warm-up they just started opening the roof and I was like okay now I see what’s happening, she was warming up outside! I had no clue that they were going to open up the roof.
“But also, I feel like I had a lot of opportunities in the first set to keep up with her that I didn’t use or used it in the wrong way. In the second set, something just snapped at like 5-3 and I was like it’s already kind of over! I mean she’s the world number one, there’s nothing to be ashamed of to lose.
“I was like, I’m playing against the wind, she’s hitting hard, I’m like three metres behind the baseline and I’m trying to play the same game style as I played Madi [Keys], high balls, trying to change the pace, make a little more variation, but it didn’t work. I was like, it’s not working today with this wind, like I’ve just got to hit the ball
“I’ve got to hit it, so she can hit it at me harder, so she can push me even more. So I just started hitting more freely, just going for my shots, being more aggressive, I guess she wasn’t ready that I will be still be trying to find something different, trying to find a solution.
“And then mistakes from her side started creeping in, I saw a moment and then I was like ooh, I’m getting closer and closer. Then I was winning the second set and was like, she hasn’t lost a set here, let’s go, that was like my proud moment. Like I won a set against the world number one, no-one did it this tournament, like I’m taking it as a win.
“And I feel like in the third set I already had that feeling about what I have to do to kind of beat her after that second set, so I was like I just got to keep going the same, like I need to be focused on my serve, hold my serve and then just being very aggressive, but very disciplined, like going for the easier shots and then again seek for the opportunity to break her serve and wait for the moments where she will try to go for more.”
Which loss was more surprising, Aryna Sabalenka or Jannik Sinner?
Sinner lost in R2, Sabalenka in the QF…
Diana Shnaider says Jannik Sinner’s defeat gave her belief against Aryna Sabalenka
Shnaider then faced a very different pressure going into the semi-final against Chwalinska, as she was then the favourite to reach the Roland Garros final against the surprise qualifier.
Before speaking about the match with Chwalinska, Shnaider made one more comment about her victory over Sabalenka, admitting that she sourced inspiration from Juan Manuel Cerundolo’s shock comeback against Sinner.
Shnaider then admitted that she was struggling physically against Chwalinska, but praised her opponent for the way she played.
“Honestly, when I played Sabalenka after that crazy Jannik Sinner match, losing from 5-1,” said Shnaider. “When I was losing 4-1, I was like it’s not over, like it’s not over!
“After I won, like you don’t believe it, like I didn’t believe that I did it, that I’m in the semis, beating Aryna and for sure that I needed to play the next day kind of was a little bit different.
“Because I had a tough match against Madi, where I needed to run a lot, then I had that physical match against Aryna, where I was also running for quite a few balls so I could make an extra for her. So I feel like physically, I was already kind of getting tired and obviously mentally that I didn’t have that day off where I could kind of recharge and just kind of think about what I need to do for the next match.
“Because usually I would just go on the practice courts before, we would have a practice, we would get ready for the specific opponent. Like what we have to do, talk through the tactics and then we didn’t have that extra day, everything was kind of rushed. Like we’re finished and then you have this idea that you need to get ready for tomorrow, you need to take care of your body, you need to get a physio, ice bath, you need to eat and then you have press.
“From one thing to another thing, and then you need to call your family, everyone is super happy, your phone just keeps buzzing and buzzing, and all of a sudden it’s 9pm and you’re playing tomorrow.
“And then you have someone who obviously came from qualies, for sure more expectations. But for me I feel like it wasn’t more about expectations, it was just completely different game style compared to Aryna. Like very big switch from like a high pace to a lot of variations to high balls, and a lot of slices and drop shots, obviously her being a leftie, so definitely a big switch and I feel like that match was so physically intense.
“Like after the first set, like I was done, like after that hour and 20, like I can’t do this for another set! My legs were so sore, my back was getting sore, I got to take a medical timeout because I can’t contort my body, like I can’t run, I can’t breathe anymore!
“And then it was closed roof, it was raining, so the ball got like all wet and puffy, it was kind of helping her game style more than mine, like I couldn’t really finish the ball being aggressive. So there was a lot of long rallies, a lot of running backward and forward, but she played great, very smart tennis for the clay courts.
“I knew her actually from 2022, I knew that it was going to be a tough match. But she played great and obviously I cried because I was upset, I missed the opportunity to be in the final, but after the match we talked with Sascha and like I have no doubts that I left it all out there, I tried different things, it didn’t work. She played great, I played good, there was a couple of crazy rallies, it was an entertaining match, so I was just proud that I showed some good tennis and that’s it.”
Prove me wrong – Aryna Sabalenka WILL NOT win a Grand Slam in 2026
She has two attempts left…
Shnaider has since begun her grass court season at the Berlin Open, but lost in the first round against Nikola Bartunkova.
She will play one more tournament ahead of Wimbledon this year at the Bad Homburg Open, where Shnaider won the title in 2024.
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