Martina Navratilova has always been one to express her ideas with no hesitation to her fans and followers. Be it about politics or a tennis player’s future, Navratilova is never shy of voicing her beliefs. Recently, a young talent caught her eye following a New York Times feature. True to her nature, Navratilova immediately shared the article with her opinion on the young player on her Twitter handle.

It was about Diana Shnaider, a Russian tennis player who has now become the first woman since 1993 to rank within the WTA top 100 while playing college tennis. Sure enough, with the current conflict in Ukraine, her nationality has created more hurdles for her to overcome. Diana’s moving tale made its way to Navratilova’s Twitter feed and earned considerable praise.

Diana Shnaider is Martina Navratilova’s new favorite

The New York Times feature talks not only about Diana but also interviewed the people in her life who provide more insight into her game. Following the comments of her coaches Simon Earnshaw and Geoff Macdonald, the comment from WTA legend Martina Navratilova herself is a big achievement for the 18-year-old tennis prodigy.

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Sharing the New York Times feature on her Twitter handle, Martina Navratilova wrote, “This woman is motivated:)”. The small smiling emoticon at the end shows Navratilova’s fondness for this new-age WTA player. She added a message for her followers and Twitter enthusiasts and asked them to remember Diana. “Remember her name!” she said.

Martina’s praise surely prompts her fanbase to take a look at Diana and the promise she holds for the future of tennis. Coupled with her experiences as a Russian in the US, her fighting spirit on the court is unparalleled.

Shnaider was never a “pusher”

Talking to the New York Times, Shnaider revealed a few things about her personality and mentality on the court. One of them being her calmness and presence of mind. She confessed that she is not someone who overthinks. Instead, she focuses on the small steps.

“I never wanted to be a pusher,” she tells the NYT. “I was always like: ‘OK, here’s the shot. I’m killing it.’”

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For pro-tennis players, it is often the grit that gets them. However, the eighteen-year-old Shnaider’s calmness might really be her in-built stress buster. Along with that, her forehand is definitely a slasher to watch out for! After she caught the eye of tennis enthusiasts in her match against Maria Sakkari, Shnaider has been on everyone’s minds. Between probable greatness and the everyday grind, it remains to be seen where Shnaider leads the future of tennis.