On Friday, August 9, the third round matches of the WTA-1000 tournament in Toronto began. The 24th racket in the world, Russian tennis player Diana Schneider, also played her match at the thousandth event in Canada. Her opponents were American Cori Gauff, who is ranked second in the women’s world rankings. Our compatriot managed to make a splash by defeating the US Open 2023 champion in two sets! Thus, Diana scored her first career victory over a top 10 tennis player. After the match with the representative of the United States, the silver medalist of the Paris Olympic Games in pairs spoke to media representatives. Schneider revealed the secret of success in the battle with Gauff and highlighted the most significant achievement after the victory over the American.
– Diana, congratulations on your victory. You played a great match. What was the game plan and how were you able to deal with Coco?“I did a really good job psychologically and stayed focused throughout the match. It was a bit difficult because of the wind, but we have to adapt to the conditions. I think I did a great job adapting to the conditions, adapting to Coco’s performance. Playing on Centre Court for the first time, I was a bit nervous as well, but I was very proud of myself and how the match against Gauff turned out for me.
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– You achieved your first victory over a top 10 player and reached your first quarter-final in the 1,000-meter tournament. What was the most significant achievement for you after meeting Coco?– I think my first win over a top-five player is a special achievement. I had several fights where I lost in three games. They had a close fight, so this win is very important.
Reaching the quarter-finals of the WTA-1000 tournament is definitely an achievement as well. I am very satisfied with this season and how my game turned out in this match.
Coco is a very experienced tennis player. She had a very good series on hard court last year. I had a great victory and I hope to continue with the same spirit.
Diana Schneider
Photo: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
– How did you prepare psychologically for the match with Gauff?“I went out on the court and thought that I would do everything in my power, I would control my emotions. I don’t have minutes or seconds to waste on negative thoughts. I went out on the court and thought, ‘Okay, I will keep fighting for every ball, and if everything goes my way, so be it, I will just work and fight for the win. If Coco plays better than me, she will have to earn it and beat me. ’ I did my best to stay focused on every point. I knew that if I had the chance, I would definitely take it. If I didn’t, the fight will be tense. To be honest, I was preparing for a three-set match.
– In your game, is psychological preparation as important as technical and physical preparation?– I think so. This is very important. I think it’s like a puzzle: if you’re missing one component, you’re not going to feel good or play well on a given day. Everything has to come together.
– Gauff said in the post-match press conference that she felt she played very confident tennis throughout the match. You really forced her to hit a lot of balls and she made a lot of unforced errors. What was the best thing she did on the court in the match against the American? Maybe you were particularly focused on Coco’s performance, which you felt you could take advantage of throughout the match?“I was surprised by the amount of shots I made on the court. I knew that Gauff was physically ready for everyone on tour, she runs very well, she covers all the balls and angles of the court. So when there were long rallies and I won them, I thought: “Wow, I beat Coco in a long rally. I’m doing well today” (laughs). I tried to play calmer, but everything inside me was saying: “Yes! I did it!”
I noticed that Coco made a lot of unforced errors. I tried to drag my opponent into long rallies and also not make many unforced errors. I thought that if she was a winner, then she was doing very well. She was a winner and there was nothing else for me to do. I did my best to play long rallies and if I had the opportunity to be aggressive, I tried to take it.
Diana Schneider
Photo: Robert Prange/Getty Images
– You’re having an amazing summer and a really great season right from the start. You’ve already won three tournaments. Is there anything in particular that has changed your game this year? Is there anything you do really well when you’re performing at a higher level than maybe a few years ago?– I think it all depends on a bit of experience. Last year I missed some high-level tournaments because I was in college, but this year I will be playing on the pro circuit for a whole season, which gives me experience playing against players like Coco and playing more important tournaments like Toronto and TBS.
Like I said, it’s like a puzzle. Everything comes together and then you don’t notice it. But then everything falls into place and you think, “Okay, I’m here and we can continue.”
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– At what point in the match against Gauff did you feel your momentum shift and what will you take from this match for your next tournament?– I don’t think I noticed such a change when I was on the court. I knew that Gauff could come back at any moment, so I tried to stay focused and keep my game at the same level. I saw that Coco was a little disappointed with the game and how it was going, so I tried not to lose the moment and achieve even greater success.
Until the end of the match, until Gauff won, I remained very focused. I knew that anything could happen in this match.
– How would you rate your tennis this year? You won a silver medal at the Olympics and won three tournaments. Summarize.– This is amazing (laughs). I am having a great season and I am very excited about the upcoming tournaments. After my first title, I thought: “Okay, I won the tournament. Now my goal is to win a second title this year.” I have already achieved this, but of course now I want more.
I’m having one of the best seasons of my career so far. It’s a nice feeling. I think I can still improve a lot of things in my game. I’ll work on this with the coaches and my team. It’s definitely a long way to go, but I feel like I’m on the right path. I’ll keep going.
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– Was it hard for you to believe in yourself and that you can be in the top 30, top 20, top 10? And how are you doing with this now? Do you find it strange to see this number next to your name or have you already gotten used to it and see yourself even higher in the WTA rankings?– I think so, I couldn’t believe it every time I reached a new stage. When I finished in the top 100 of the women’s world rankings, it was like: “Oh my God.” I was surrounded by top players, which was unusual after the junior level. Then the top 70, the top 50 this year – everything happened so fast. And now I’m already in the top 30.
Going out on court for the match with Gauff, I thought: “I will try to do my best, but I am playing against Coco on hard court, so it is okay, we will see how it goes. I have just come back from clay, but I will do my best, I will fight.”
But I’m very proud of myself and I hope to start believing more in myself, in my tennis and in my game. So yes, that’s what I’m still missing.
Diana Schneider
Photo: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
– Tell us about your tennis career in college. Did it help you become who you are today?– Of course, it helped me a lot. While I was at university, I didn’t think about anything else but tennis, except my game, how I can progress, what I can change to play better. That year my only focus was tennis.
Of course, I tried to attend all the college conferences. I still played in college, but I had nothing else in mind other than playing and getting better. Playing a lot of games has definitely helped me get in good shape and see what I can do.
– What do you think of this university experience? Many players who go through this system talk about the density of the matches, the endurance that the athletes have. You compete both individually and as a team.– Yes, it puts a good amount of pressure on you when you play for a team, when you fight for it. But at the same time you fight for yourself to give the team a point. I feel like now that I’m playing for myself in those tough moments when I’m under pressure, it definitely reminds me of how I handled it when I was in college and playing for the team because there’s a bit more pressure. It’s a different mix of feelings when you have a team, but it was a great experience. I’m really glad I decided to go study there. It was really exciting and I had a lot of people supporting me from the United States, from the university, my teammates, coaches. All these people supported me, so I’m really happy with the experience and I enjoyed every moment of college.
The “thousandth” in Toronto will be held from August 6 to 12. Follow all the events of this prestigious tournament in the “Championship”.
