"Didn't have luck, but I can tell people I played against Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic": Diego Schwartzman on French Open success ahead of retirement
Diego Schwartzman recently reminisced about the memorable moments of his French Open career. Schwartzman played against Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal multiple times after making a run into the second week of the tournament.
Schwartzman's first taste of the French Open came in 2013 when he reached the second round of the qualifiers. From thereon, the Argentine made 10 main-draw appearances in Paris and peaked when he reached the semifinals in 2020.
The former World No. 8 has come up against Djokovic twice at the French Open. The pair first met in 2017 at the round-of-32 stage. Schwartzman gave Djokovic a scare but eventually went down 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.
They met again in the round of 16 in 2022 but Djokovic won that in straight sets without any fuss.
Schwartzman faced Nadal thrice at the French Open, twice in the quarterfinals (2018, 2021) and once in the semifinals (2020). The Spaniard got the better of Schwartzman all three times but the Argentine considers them 'special moments' in his career.
“There were very special moments here in Paris for me... I didn’t have luck on my side in the second weeks here, playing against Novak and Rafa, but at the same time I can [tell people] in a few years that I played against them many times in the second week of a Grand Slam – many are not going to believe me, I think,” Schwartzman said during an interview with Roland Garros.
Diego Schwartzman bowed out of French Open 2024 in the qualifiers
On May 5, Diego Schwartzman took to his social media accounts and announced that he would be retiring after the Argentina Open in 2025. Therefore, this year's French Open would be his final appearance in Paris.
The Argentine started the qualifiers with an impressive 6-2, 6-3 win over Lukas Neumayer. On May 22, in the second round of the qualifiers, Schwartzman played Frenchman Quentin Halys and fought hard till the very end. However, Halys won the match 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(7).
When Schwartzman was asked how he would like to be remembered after his career comes to a close, the Buenos Aires native proudly said (via the aforementioned source):
“Like a fighter. A good fighter who was ready to play the best tennis in the world.”