Rome: Diana Shnaider declares Dinara Safina coaching split with double bagel

ROME, Italy—Diana Shnaider made headlines last month when she revealed Dinara Safina had joined her coaching team, but the relationship appears to have concluded as of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Shnaider confirming the news on Thursday.

“She returned back home to Barcelona. She needed that,” the No. 13 told me, reluctant to elaborate much on the split.

Safina officially retired from tennis in 2014 after reaching three major finals in 2008 and 2009. With elder brother Marat Safin, she became one half of the only brother-sister duo to top the ATP and WTA rankings. Safin also joined the coaching world this spring, pairing up with countryman Andrey Rublev at the start of the clay swing.

Shnaider spoke positively of the relationship with Safina last week at the Mutua Madrid Open, where she pushed former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek to three sets in the fourth round, and echoed those sentiments after a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Caroline Dolehide at the Foro Italico.

“The experience, of course, was great,” she told me. “She’s a former world No. 1, so she gave me a lot of those tips on how to stay focused in a match and not to let those negative emotions ruin your game and mental skills. For sure, those are things I learned and I’ll try to use them as much as I can so I can get better each day.”

The 21-year-old doesn’t appear to have suffered from the split in the short term, racing through her opening round against Dolehide without losing a game.

She gave me a lot of those tips on how to stay focused in a match and not to let those negative emotions ruin your game and mental skills. For sure, those are things I learned and I’ll try to use them as much as I can so I can get better each day. Diana Shnaider

“Caroline is such a tricky opponent I really tried to stay focused through the whole match because you never know,” Shnaider said. “Maybe the opponent isn’t feeling well in the beginning of the match, and then she starts feeling more comfortable. Maybe she sees the score and thinks, ‘Ok, whatever, I’m losing,’ and she goes for the shots even more.

“So, I tried not to think about the score because for me, the goal was just to win a match. The score doesn’t matter. I just tried to play a good game and win the match.”

A sweet treat will be Shnaider’s likely reward for her emphatic victory, the former NC State standout struggling to choose her favorite gelato flavor among vanilla, hazelnut, or pistachio.

“Oh my god!” she laughed. “The gelato here is so good. I’m literally eating it every day, I don’t care.”

Shnaider will next face Romanian Jaqueline Cristian for a spot in the Round of 16.