It is not every day that tennis fans can see a former top-ten player in action – for free. Jewish Argentinian and longtime fan-favorite Diego Schwartzman, formerly No. 8 in the world, faced off against Italian Andrea Pellegrino on the first day of this week’s 2024 US Open Tournament.
Schwartzman, 32, affectionately known as “El Peque” (the short one) due to his 5-foot-7 size, trailed Pellegrino 3-1 in the first set and came back to win the set 7-5.
Schwartzman, now ranked No. 230, got off to a 3-0 lead in the second set, dropped the next three, then closed out the second set 6-3.
Schwartzman saved enough energy in the hour and 39-minute match for an on-court interview with ESPN, signing large green tennis balls, and taking selfies with cheering fans who hope he will land a spot in next week’s main draw.
The qualifying tournament is scheduled from Monday through Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Queens, New York.
All matches during the week, also known as Fan Week, are free. If Schwartzman can win three matches this week, he will secure one of the 16 coveted main-draw places.
The US Open runs from August 26 to September 9.
This year’s US Open is particularly significant for Schwartzman, who announced in May 2024 that he plans to retire from tennis after the Argentina Open in February 2025.
“It is my last Grand Slam,” Schwartzman told The Jerusalem Post in the Media Center of the US Open following his match. “One more time trying to enjoy – but this time, it is different. Every time I miss, I want to do better.”
A performance to be proud of
Schwartzman is proud of his performance in his first match.
“I think I did very well today. It was a good match.”
Schwartzman has experienced a great deal of success at the US Open over the years.
“My first time here was in 2013,” noted Schwartzman, who advanced to the third round of the qualifying tournament that year. “This is my second time playing qualies.”
Schwartzman has not missed a US Open since he made his main-draw debut in 2014. In both 2017 and 2019, Schwartzman reached the US Open quarterfinals. Last year, he lost to Arthur Rinderknech in the first round.
Schwartzman’s streak of 36 consecutive main-draw appearances came to an end last year when he did not play in the 2024 Australian Open.
In addition, he has lost in the qualifiers at the previous three Grand Slam tournaments this season.
Schwartzman attributes much of his upcoming retirement to the toll tennis takes on a player physically and mentally.
“The routine, how much time per day, how much time I gave to tennis – I gave everything. There is no more inside. No more energy. The tank is empty. The last few years, I was trying hard – changing teams, coaches, trainers, you know, everything, trying to find a way to improve my tennis. But in the end, it was inside me. So far, I am pretty happy with the decision. Let’s see after a few months without the racket.”
While Schwartzman says he will “go slow” in making decisions about what comes next, one certainty is that he will get married. In June, he announced his engagement to longtime partner Eugenia De Martino.
Schwartzman posted a picture of the two of them in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. She was wearing an engagement ring.
A satisfying career
Looking back on his career, Schwartzman is satisfied. “The career was great. I am very happy with how I did.”
He has won four ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) titles to date, including the 2016 Istanbul Open, the 2018 Rio Open, the 2019 Los Cabos Open, and the 2021 Argentina Open. He also reached the 2020 French Open semifinals. Schwartzman has earned $14 million (USD).
Other memorable tennis-related accomplishments include the dedication of a tennis court at the HaCoaj club in Buenos Aires where he got his start in tennis. Center court at the club’s new tennis complex is named after Schwartzman.
“It is emotional. It is where I grew up. And they already made a lot of Challenger tournaments there. It is great to have my name when they are giving the trophy to the champion. You can go to the ATP App to see the scores and there is a Diego Schwartzman court! It is at the same time funny and it is a great honor.”
Another tennis-related milestone was visiting Israel for the first time to compete in the 2022 Tel Aviv Watergen Open. While tournament demands left little time for travel in Israel, Schwartzman shared in an earlier interview with the Post.
“I was surprised by Tel Aviv in a good way. I didn’t expect it to be so amazing. It is for sure one of my top-three best cities in the world.”
Schwartzman hopes to one day return to Israel. For now, he was turning his attention to his second-round match on Wednesday versus fellow Argentine, the qualifying tournament’s No. 1 seed, Thiago Agustin Tirante.
The winner will be on course to potentially face fellow former top-10 player Richard Gasquet.