Diego Schwartzman is playing his third ATP Cup this week in Sydney, leading the Argentine team in Group D.
The 29-year-old, who beat Nikoloz Basilashvili in his first match at the tournament this week, spoke to ATPTour.com about which places he loves in Argentina, who was his inspiration and much more.
If you could take one shot from any teammate on your team and add it to your game, what would it be?
Good question. I think it would not be a blow, but the size of Delbonis. A few extra inches would be fine.
Who on the team would be late for training or for the team dinner?
Maybe I. I’m a laid-back guy, so sometimes I’m five or ten minutes late. I’m doing something else or having coffee or talking to someone and it’s hard to be on time.
Can you describe the personality of the other players on the team?
We are all very similar, we have known each other since we were little. [Andrés] Molteni is the funniest of the team, he is always joking, always smiling. Machi [Máximo González] I think he has the experience, you know? He’s the old man on the team.
Federico Coria was the fifth player, but he is not here. He’s obviously a lot of fun, he’s the same age as me. I think he is one of my best friends on the circuit, and Delbonis the same, we have known each other since we were 10 years old so we have a very good relationship. We have a very good team.
What Argentine tennis players inspired you to play tennis when you were young?
Everyone. When I was young we had Nalbandian, Coria, Gaudio, Chela, Zabaleta, Monaco; everyone was playing. We had five to ten players at the same time. Not many countries can say that, perhaps Spain or France.
Can you describe the first club you played tennis for?
I started playing as a child for 30 minutes or an hour at the Hacoaj Nautical Club in Buenos Aires. It is one of the largest clubs in South America with 30 tracks.
Now they have named center court my name, Diego Schwartzman. I started playing there. Then I moved to an academy in the capital and a few years later I started my professional career.
Tell me three things that you love about your country.
Everything! The social, sharing, how we share everything. The roast, the steak on the grill. And the drink.
Where would you recommend a sightseeing tour?
Well, I love my country. We are a very large country with different styles. If you like the south, the mountains, the lakes, the snow, you have to go to Patagonia. Patagonia is one of the famous places in the world. We are very far but, if you have time, you have to come. I’ve never seen anything like this in the world. And also a large part in Chile. We share Patagonia because the Andes are there and it is incredible.
And then in the north is the desert. Jujuy and Salta are incredible places. And then in the middle is Buenos Aires, the capital, and I live there, so I love it.
