I grew up playing chess and piano while doing ballet and boxing… now I’m thriving in different sport
FROM chess and piano to ballet dancing, figure skating, boxing and tennis – meet the multi-talented Diana Shnaider.
As a youngster growing up in Russia, there was nothing she could not do.
Her mother Yulia was an English teacher who could play the piano and her dad Maxim was a boxer-turned lawyer.
So it was no surprise to see their daughter take to whatever activity was thrown her way.
But tennis always stood out for the 20-year-old wonderkid, who is tipped to be a future Grand Slam winner.
Her sporting childhood has shaped her, with Shnaider explaining: “From aged four until eight, alongside tennis I was doing classic dancing, playing chess, playing piano.
“Slowly everything got taken over [by tennis].
“I still can play chess. In juniors me and my dad would take a set with us to play a lot of games.
“It was always tennis I enjoyed the most, even in the child years.
“For a year or two at 14, 15 I didn’t have a fitness coach. So I was using boxing for fitness work.
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“It’s really fun, really hard, I was going there with my younger brother, so it was even more fun for me.”
Shnaider was showing off her talent on court at North Carolina State University before ditching education in the US after just a year to go pro.
And she has not looked back since the decision following a stunning 2024.
She won a silver medal in the doubles at the Olympics, picked up four WTA titles, made the last-16 at the US Open and climbed to No12 in the world rankings.
Shnaider is also one of the most distinctive players on tour, wearing her trademark polka-dot bandana in every match.
Most do not forget her unique look but nine-time Wimbledon winner Martina Navratilova is convinced there is more to Shnaider than a bold fashion statement, saying: “Remember the name.”