French Open 2020: Diego Schwartzman - the little giant of Paris
Diego Schwartzman reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time with his epic quarter-final victory against Dominic Thiem . The twelve-time winner Rafael Nadal will be waiting there on Friday at the 2020 French Open.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit:
Oct 07, 2020, 10:18 pm
Diego Schwartzman remembers the doctor's visit at home in Buenos Aires “very, very well”. It was one of the most defining moments of his entire childhood. Schwartzman was 13 years old at the time, a slight lad. And, as always in his life, the doctor's treatment room was all about height. “I just wanted to know how tall I could be,” says Schwartzman, “and then the doctor said: Not taller than 1.70 meters.” Schwartzman said he was close to tears, “I thought it was over with my tennis. With a great career. "
Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that.
When Schwartzman snuck to the Center Court network in Paris early on Tuesday evening, after an impressive five-set win against US Open King Dominic Thiem, after a rousing battle over five hours and eight minutes, he was in the semifinals of a Grand- Slam tournament. And not only that: Diego Sebastian Schwartzman, this small, tall man with 167 centimeters from head to toe, was with this triumph also moved up into the top ten for the first time in his career. Now Schwartzman was able to face the challenge against clay court matador Rafael Nadal once again in his tennis life - at the Masters tournament in Rome, the last major preparatory competition for Roland Garros, “Grande Diego” (La Nacion) had the Mallorcan in the quarter-finals dumped two sentences. For the first time after eight losses in eight previous matches. "Diego is a great player, a wonderful person," says Nadal about the South American who trained for many weeks in the Nadal tennis academy on Mallorca during the Corona break.
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Schwartzman as an indestructible fighter
For many years, the smallest world-class player in the traveling circus, named after football superstar Diego Maradona, has regularly taken on the big and strong in the industry - with all those who measure just under two meters or even above. There are many funny pictures in which Schwartzman looks up at his counterpart at an airy height after the end of the match during the obligatory handshake. Often the Argentines even tower over the ball girls and boys who are on duty. “It's just the eternal David versus Goliath story for me,” says Schwartzman, “but it doesn't help to complain about the size. I've learned to make the most of it. ”After all, according to Schwartzman,“ I won't wake up one day and be as tall as Zverev or John Isner. ”The American, mind you, is just under two heads taller, 2 meters and 8 centimeters .
Schwartzman's story is the story of a rise against odds - not just because of his size. Because the family of the 28-year-old fighter got into serious financial hardship at the beginning of the 90s, when the tennis star was born. Suddenly there is no more money with the Schwartzmans, they have to save on every nook and cranny. Schwartzman's father even lies to his son to send him on tennis trips. “He always told me that we go to great hotels with all the trimmings. And then we ended up in cheap houses and I shared a bed with my mother, ”recalls Schwartzman. In order to raise money, mother and son even sell self-made bracelets to fans during the youth tournaments, and other players also help the family out. "We had to turn over every peso three times," says Schwartzman.
Nadal with a 98: 2 record in Paris
Schwartzman was never a top youth player, but his adult tennis career took off quickly. He made a name for himself as a tireless, undaunted fighter. Schwartzman is someone who basically never gives up a ball, no matter how it is. He meets the tall players of the new tennis generations with his fantastic endurance, his fighting spirit, but also with enormous playfulness and creativity. The 1.67-meter-tall man has long been more than just a painter in the red sand, but a recognized all-rounder - one who can cause horror in the competition anywhere.
Two years ago Schwartzman played in the Roland Garros quarter-finals in a crucial Grand Slam position against Nadal, he won the first set and led with a break in the second set. Then the rain came, there was a break, the demolition came, the postponement for the next day. Schwartzman lost his line. Nadal won. Now, in autumn 2020, he wants to bring the almost impossible to an end, a win against Nadal, against the man with a 98-2 record at the French Open. "I go out feeling that it can work," says Schwartzman. The little giant.
Here the single tableau in Paris
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