WTA’s No. 19 Diana Shnaider shared a detailed story about being pulled over in America for speeding during the Charleston Open. The Russian tennis player was training with her coach, Sascha, late at night. They left the court around 12:00 am with Sascha taking the wheel and Shnaider resting in the passenger’s seat.

Shnaider admitted they were speeding and didn’t expect to be pulled over by the cops. She jokingly put the blame on her coach and described herself as a “passenger princess.”

“Well, what happened is we left kind of late from the court. It was already like 12 am. Sascha wanted me to have as much rest as I can. Well, there was a little bit of overspeeding. We weren’t thinking there would be any cops, so it was definitely not expected, but it was a very fun moment. It was the first time, and I hope it is the last time. I did nothing wrong; I was just a passenger princess. I was just enjoying my ride. It is all Sascha’s fault,” Diana said while speaking to the Tennis Channel.

Diana Shnaider’s run at the Charleston Open concluded in the quarterfinals after Jessica Pegula overwhelmed her. She claimed the opening set, but the American fired back and outplayed the Russian to move to the semifinals.

A look at WTA player Diana Shnaider’s inconsistent run in 2026

Diana Shnaider’s quarterfinal finish at the Charleston Open remains her best performance this year. En route to the last eight, she defeated Katie Volynets in the second round and 9th seed Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-0 in the third.

Before her outing in South Carolina, Shnaider competed at Adelaide International and went all the way to the semifinals, notching a notable victory over Emma Navarro. Her hopes to fight for the title came to an end at the hands of Mirra Andreeva.

Shnaider failed to perform at the Australian Open and was ousted in the third round by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina. She crashed out of the Qatar Open after falling short against Alycia Parks. In Dubai, she found some relief with a victory in the opening round but lost in the second to Iva Jovic. Her WTA form continued to decline as Camila Osorio sent her packing in the first round of the Indian Wells Open. Talia Gibson ended her time at the Sunshine Double by knocking Shnaider out in the Round of 32.