It was a long and emotional Monday on and off the court for beloved Argentinian Jewish tennis player Diego Schwartzman at the US Open.
First, Schwartzman battled Gael Monfils of France for 2 hours and 42 minutes in a late afternoon opening-round match on the packed Grandstand court. Schwartzman took the 62-minute first set 7-6(2) in a tiebreaker, before losing the next three sets by large margins – 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.
With his loss to Monfils, it was game, set, and match for Schwartzman’s career playing in prestigious Grand Slam tournaments.
In May 2024, Schwartzman, 32, announced that he will retire from professional tennis after the February 2025 Argentina Open – and that the 2024 US Open, taking place in New York from August 26 to September 8, will be his final Grand Slam event.
As Schwartzman hugged Monfils, 38, he put his rackets down before being invited back to the court. The crowd cheered and shouted, “We love you, Diego” as they watched a video highlighting Schwartzman’s US Open career, followed by an on-court interview and the presentation of a collage featuring his US Open appearances.
Schwartzman fought back tears as he addressed the crowd.
Emotional farewell speech
“I’m sorry,” he said, crying as the crowd cheered. “Special moments like you see before on the screens at the US Opens where I played here 11 times – I did great, the crowds today and the years before, they took care of me. I am really grateful for all of these years, to all the people here and watching on TV, and to [USTA Chief Executive, Professional Tennis & US Open Tournament Director] Stacey [Allaster] – you are great. Thank you very much. I never dreamed of these kinds of moments, but I am happy to have them. I will enjoy every single moment from now on.”
In Monfils’s post-match on-court interview, he reflected on Schwartzman and his career.
“He is an amazing player. He played unbelievably; he is a good friend and a nice guy. He represents the spirit of the ATP and we are going to miss him a lot.”
Monfils also liked the match.
“I knew he would play hard, and he was very solid.”
The players held serve throughout the first set, with each player having one service break. The ninth game of the set featured a 21-shot rally.
In the second set, Monfils began changing pace and Schwartzman started committing errors, with some shots barely missing the lines. Schwartzman appeared tired and was unable to mount a comeback.
“I played well,” reports Monfils. “I felt good, I knew it would be a long match. Eventually, I won.”
“In the end, I was struggling,” Schwartzman acknowledged.
Schwartzman offered his final post-match media conference – first in English, then in Spanish. Reflecting on his career and his time at the US Open, Schwartzman said, “Yeah, it was great. Many years – time passed very, very quickly. I’m very happy with how I did here and also how the crowd treated me all these years. I think this journey here at the US Open was great – every single moment was great, and I really enjoyed it.”
Schwartzman reflected on some of his fondest US Open memories, where he twice made it to the quarterfinals.
“I think the US Open 2017 was the first time that I felt like I was a great player, and I became top 30, I think in 2017 for the very first time after beating Cilic and Pouille, losing in the quarterfinals against Carreno Busta. I think the US Open gave me a lot of victories, good ones, and a lot of confidence in my career.”
While disappointed by the result of the match, Schwartzman could not have asked for a better way to end his US Open and Grand Slam career.
“It was an end that I always dreamed of, you know, on a big court against a big opponent like Gael – enjoying a few moments in the match.”
How is Schwartzman feeling at this moment, as he exits his final Grand Slam event and as his career winds down?
“Yeah, I think it’s crazy how the people treat me. I never dreamed of this kind of thing – playing in the US Open on a big court, first round for the very last time. You know, having all the crowd there, the tournament director, everyone there just giving me thank-yous for coming. I don’t know. It’s crazy for me. Since I was young, I never dreamed of this. I finished my career this way; it’s very special and very emotional.”