Schwartzman says adios: 'I achieved much more than I ever dreamed of'

Diego Schwartzman has played the last professional tennis match of his life. Fighting back the tears, he lost 6-2, 6-2 to Pedro Martinez in the second round of the IEB+ Argentina Open on Thursday.

Somewhere in that roller coaster of emotions was the pride of accomplishment (and of a dream come true). He will be remembered on Tour, as well as for his achievements, for being a player who set the bar for those looking to push themselves past whatever their own personal limitations may be, with his discipline, passion and a born ability to compete.

This opinion of ‘El Peque’ is not based in any particular geographical location or a specific tournament where he enjoyed success, it is universal. Schwartzman, the player experts said would never reach the elite because of his height, proved his doubters wrong time and time again, ever since he first picked up a racquet at the age of seven. He always wore a smile on his face, and he always looked forward, which is what he tried to do one last time in the Guillermo Vilas Stadium.

The emotion in his voice, as he fought back the tears, and the standing ovation the former No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings received was, largely, an ode to the constant challenge of disproving the naysayers; Schwartzman wanted it more than anyone, and he achieved more than most.

Many moons ago, as his dreams and skills grew in parallel from the age of seven, probably his greatest concern, and that of his family, would have been how to cover the costs of progress in an ‘expensive’ sport. When Schwartzman was 13 years old, a doctor told him he would never grow taller than 5’ 7”. The news hit him like a train and he was unsure if he wanted to continue playing tennis.

However, ‘El Peque’, the nickname he was affectionately given many years later, never took his eye off the ball and he certainly reaped his rewards for it. With four ATP Tour titles (Istanbul 2016, Rio 2018, Los Cabos 2019 and Buenos Aires 2021) as well as 10 finals, the French Open semi-finals in 2020 and qualification for the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals in London, the Buenos Aires native produced many a masterpiece on the ATP Tour.

The Argentine capital, of course, was always a special place for Schwartzman, a place where he would slip into the stands to watch his heroes play, and where he would win his first ATP Tour match in 2013. He was crowned champion of the tournament in 2021 and reached the final there in 2019 and 2022, as well as being fifth of the list of Argentine tennis players with the most main-draw matches in the history of the event, with 28; only behind Mónaco (34), Acasuso (34), Chela (31) and Nalbandian (29).

For the 32-year-old right-hander, the result against Martinez will always be just the final line in a novel with countless chapters, because his time had come to retire, as he recognised in the build-up to the event and back in May when he announced his decision.

How did he prepare for that moment? By enjoying every day in his new life as a “non-tennis player”, by soaking up the small moments. Schwartzman went on holiday for the first time since he was 16.

The fact is that for over a decade and a half, January and February were intense months for Schwartzman, with the start of the season in Australia and then the Latin American clay swing and the chance of playing at home, something that didn’t happen the rest of the year. His goodbye, then, comes at a perfect time to end the cycle.

However, if there is one thing that makes Schwartzman proud of his career it is the fact that he made the decision to hang up his racquet on his own. “I understood my body, I understood my head. I knew I had been exhausted for a while and that I couldn’t keep up what I had always managed to do... I achieved much more than I ever dreamed of,” he told ATPTour.com.

Of course, on court he was known for his enduring consistency; staying at the top of the Tour, being a member of the ‘elite’ for more than a decade. He leaves two particularly telling stats in his wake; Schwartzman played 36 consecutive Grand Slams starting at the 2014 French Open, and was in 52 consecutive main draws at Masters 1000 events, for over seven years.

Schwartzman was present at all four majors every year for almost a decade, and with outstanding results; apart from his semi-final at the 2020 French Open (his best finish), he also reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros (2018 and 2021) and the Australian Open (2017 and 2019).

At the ATP Masters 1000s, from March 2017, when he played in the first round in Indian Wells, every time the Argentine signed up for an event in that category, he went straight into the main draw. He also went five years without dropping outside the Top 30 players in the PIF ATP Rankings.

What does the future hold for him? “I want to help Latin American tennis by organising tournaments or being part of the present and the future of Argentinian tennis in some way,” he said in recent days.

Schwartzman is an empathetic player, one of those who always looks around themselves with humility, genuinely interested in and concerned for the people around him. Going forward, ‘El Peque’ is not ready to put his feet up just yet. He wants to enjoy the rest of his life, and for the girls and boys that aspire to a life in tennis to have opportunities and to be able to make their dreams come true, just like he did. With a racquet in his hand, and his racquet bag over his shoulder, Schwartzman showed everyone what can be done.

Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

A fitting finale 🥹

Pure goosebumps as the cathedral of Argentinian tennis hails "Diegooo"@dieschwartzman | @ArgentinaOpen | #ArgOpen2025 pic.twitter.com/0Zf6QrD4wH

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 13, 2025