MUBADALA DC OPEN

July 31, 2026

Diana Shnaider

Press Conference

D. SHNAIDER/L. Samsonova

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Diana, congrats. Just your thoughts on the match.

DIANA SHNAIDER: Yeah, thank you. It was a very good match. Proud of myself. Tough I feel like emotionally, mentally because we just played a couple of weeks ago. Definitely better mentally match for myself today than like couple weeks ago at Wimbledon. I feel like better job on the return today.

So, yeah, happy with the win.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. We were talking to your next opponent, Jess. She was talking about you and said that she thinks you're underrated for just how good of an all-court player you are and all the different things you can do. Do you agree? Do you think that you're better than people maybe talk about? I don't know.

DIANA SHNAIDER: I mean, honestly, I don't care, but yeah, very happy to hear it from Jess. Thanks a lot for her comments.

But for sure, I don't take it too close to my heart, whatever people think, like, how I play on hard court or grass or any surface. I feel like the results are showing. Like, I have a title on every surface. I'm more, like, following the results.

I mean, it's nice to hear from her, because I feel like she's also a very solid player on every surface. So, yeah, I'm definitely looking forward for tomorrow's match. We played a couple of times. Every time is very tricky, and there is definitely high-quality match. I'm expecting a great fight tomorrow, and yeah, will do my best.

Q. Just wondering, the week as a whole, you think back to last weekend. You're sitting here having lunch; you get asked to play double with Venus. You do play Venus with doubles a couple of matches. You've in the semifinal. This is an eventful week for you, in other words. How would you assess how it's gone for you in terms of all the little things that happened along the way here?

DIANA SHNAIDER: Well, first of all, wasn't expecting to play doubles with Venus here, which was an amazing experience. But then, for sure, I feel like I wasn't expecting to be in the semis, because it's first event on hard court, so it's, I feel like, always tricky to change a surface. Then there's been a break.

So, yeah, I feel like I played two great matches so far. I hope to play same or even better tomorrow. We'll see how it goes, but I'll definitely try to do my best and give a good fight.

Q. I thought you had two doubles matches before even playing a singles, I'm not sure if that factors into anything preparation-wise, but did that get the juices flowing a little bit maybe?

DIANA SHNAIDER: I feel like for sure it helped in some way just to kind of get the nerves a little out of the way before singles and try to feel the ball a little bit more, like, in a match flow.

So, yeah, I feel like it helped before the yesterday match a little bit more. But, yeah, was feeling good in doubles and in singles.

Q. (Asked by Coach Sascha Bajin) A lot of players, they work with music. Yeah, I know that motivates them. Is there any particular songs you lately listen to that get you really going and pumped, and if you can please name them?

DIANA SHNAIDER: Well, I think you know my preferences very well (laughing). But, yeah, for sure some pump songs we are listening with our team on the way back from our wins.

But, yeah, I don't think I can say the names here, but one of them is, like, a rap songs like "Black and Yellow" and type of those songs that getting us and team very hyped. So, yeah, we're taking care of energy before the match (laughing).

Q. Talking about your team, what's your favorite part of working with your coach here?

DIANA SHNAIDER: There is too many. I do love his driving skills very much (laughing). But I feel like we share kind of same joke, same mentality. I think it's super easy for us just, you know, to share moments on the court and off the court.

It's just very natural for us, too, and we don't care whatever people think. We just enjoy ourself, and we don't pretend with each other.

But for sure, as a coach, I also like that he gives me feedback. He never lie. I mean, that's what you need as a player just to kind of get the progress going.

Q. Then talking about the match, you mentioned that obviously you played Liudmila back in Wimbledon a few weeks ago. I'm curious, how do you think about a previous match? For example, she knocked you out of a Grand Slam. How much is that on your mind, especially when you're playing three, four weeks later?

DIANA SHNAIDER: I mean, definitely there are some thoughts in the back of your mind, especially because it was, like, the last tournament.

But you kind of know that it's a different story, different match, different surface, different day, and it's been, like, what, three weeks before the last meeting. Yeah, you know, I kind of knew what to expect. Then I just try to make some adjustments from the last match that we played.

So yeah, again, as I said, it was definitely better work on the return today, and I feel like overall was rushing less and was just taking care of more of myself, thinking less of her and more of what I need to do. I think that helped today a lot.