Former world number eight Diego Schwartzman has announced his retirement from active tennis. But the Argentine still has a lot to do before that happens.
Diego Schwartzman will officially end his tennis career in February 2025, he announced in a post on Instagram on Sunday. The timing has been carefully considered: Then he will compete one last time in the ATP tournament in his hometown of Buenos Aires.
In the capital of Argentina, Schwartzman, who was just 31 years old, won his last of four individual titles on the tour to date. In 2021 he defeated his compatriot Francisco Cerúndolo in the final of the clay court tournament. Previously, titles jumped out in Los Cabos (Mexico, 2019), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil, 2018) and Istanbul (Turkey, 2016).
“What a journey! So many moments and anecdotes that I had never dreamed of. So many people that I met and helped me grow, who taught me so much and made me a better player and person than anyone, including me, ever thought,” Schwartzman began his retirement announcement.
Tennis professional Schwartzman goes on a farewell tour
One reason for his decision: his inner, competitive urge prevents him from “enjoying the game as much” as he used to.
“I want my last tournaments to be my own decision,” the Argentine continued: “I want 2024 to be like this and hopefully I will have the opportunity to take part in the tournaments that I enjoy the most . And in 2025 I will be able to experience my last moment in Argentina, the most beautiful conclusion I can imagine.”
Schwartzman recently slipped to 112th place in the world rankings. In October 2020, he was ranked eighth and was still one of the best tennis players in the world.
His best performance at a Grand Slam tournament was the semifinals of the French Open in May 2020.
2024-05-06 13:58:00
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