Former World No.1 Dinara Safina returns to tennis as coach of Diana Shnaider after poor start to 2025 season
WTA
Diana Shnaider has added a new coach to her team in the form of World No.1, Dinara Safina as both brother and sister have now been appointed as coaches in the past week.
Andrey Rublev hired her brother Marat Safin last week and now Safina will also step onto the tour. She has previously floated the idea of coaching Aryna Sabalenka and also spoke fondly recently of Davide Sanguinetti, the 'current' coach of Elena Rybakina.
But has not stepped into that field until ow as Shnaider aims for a fresh start. The 21-year-old has been as high as World No.12 but has likely taken this move due to a poor start to the 2025 season.
Shnaider has long been one of the top talents in the WTA but with the weight of expectation rising has come a drop off. She has gone from the end of last season being one of the players of the year to barely winning a game.
She lost in the second round in Charleston to Ekaterina Alexandrova, not a poor opponent but it was a crushing 6-2, 6-1 defeat. In Indian Wells and Miami, she lost to Belinda Bencic and Anna Blinkova.
She has not reached a Quarter-Final or better since Adelaide in January and perhaps needs some fresh impetus which she hinted at in her statement as she thanked her father for being her coach but welcomed the ex-player to her staff.
She parted with Igor Andreev who brought her a lot of success and worked with her father in the past few months.
"Hello everyone! 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," wrote the Russian.
"While taking the time find this new partnership, I am appreciative of my dad for helping me out as my coach. 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!"
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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