Diego Schwartzman

Original article was published on The Jerusalem Post

Diego Schwartzman played his last Grand Slam match at the 2024 US Open, receiving a heartfelt send-off from fans as he prepares to retire in 2025.

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.

Tennis – Australian Open – Diego Schwartzman of Argentina v Dusan Lajovic of Serbia – Melbourne, Australia, January 15, 2018. Schwartzman hits a shot. (credit: REUTERS/THOMAS PETER)

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.”

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Original article was published on The Jerusalem Post

Schwartzman saved enough energy in the hour and 39-minute match for an on-court interview with ESPN.

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.

Tennis – Australian Open – Diego Schwartzman of Argentina v Dusan Lajovic of Serbia – Melbourne, Australia, January 15, 2018. Schwartzman hits a shot. (credit: REUTERS/THOMAS PETER)

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.

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Original Article Published On The JP

Djokovic, Thiem, Schwartzman among the headliners • Returning tournament to start on Rosh Hashanah

Fans of Israel tennis are overjoyed that the Watergen ATP 250 series Tel Aviv Open will return to Israel this September after a 26-year hiatus. The hype is especially high since such top players as Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic and Jewish-Argentine Diego Schwartzman will be coming to the Holy Land.

Some tennis lovers, however, wish the tournament would have delayed its September 25 start date by two days to avoid conflicting with the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.

The tournament, with $949,475 in prize money, takes place September 25-October 2 at the Expo Tel Aviv complex. The tournament follows Israel’s hosting of the Davis Cup, the premier international team event in men’s tennis, against the Czech Republic in Tel Aviv on September 16 and 17.

Sunday, the 25th, is the eve of Rosh Hashanah, which will continue through sunset on Tuesday, September 27.

Stars recall previous trips to Israel

“It is very exciting to have a prestigious ATP event back in Israel. It is amazing the names of the players that have signed up for the tournament,” reports an excited Yoni Yair, VP of Development for Israel Tennis and Education Centers (ITEC).

Other top players in the 28-person men’s singles draw and the 16-team doubles draw include Botic Van De Zandschulp of the Netherlands, Karen Khachanov (Russia), Tommy Paul (USA), Jenson Brooksby (USA), and Adrian Mannarino (France).

Joao Sousa of Portugal enjoyed being in Israel in 2012 for the Davis Cup but playfully noted, “You beat me – not a very good memory!”

Sousa, like many players, has opportunities to explore Israel given the playing demands.

“I didn’t get to travel around Israel but we stayed in a nice hotel near the beach in Tel Aviv. The country had a nice atmosphere. Hopefully, I will get to explore more!”

Yair recalls the excitement in Israel when past tournaments came to town.

“I remember the buzz and the atmosphere through the years that we hosted the international ATP tournament in Israel. It was such a special time in Israel when first-class players played in the tournament. The stands were always full.”

Yair, whose Israel Tennis and Education Centers provide tennis training and social impact programming to thousands in Israel, is pleased with the impact of such tournaments on the younger generation of Israelis.

“These tournaments were a huge inspiration for our younger players to dream big. I am sure that this event will be a huge success and will drive and introduce the game of tennis to so many young children. The tournament will have a huge impact on tennis in Israel and will create great morale.”

“The tournament will have a huge impact on tennis in Israel and will create great morale”Yoni Yair, VP of Development for Israel Tennis and Education Centers

DIEGO SCHWARTZMAN (right) and Spaniard Rafael Nadal meet at the net after the Jewish-Argentine won their quarterfinal match last month in Rome. The two face off today in the French Open semifinals (credit: REUTERS)

Argentine grandson of Holocaust survivors makes Holy Land return

Schwartzman has spoken openly about being Jewish and being the grandson of Holocaust survivors.

“My great grandfather on my mom’s side, who lived in Poland, was put on a train to a concentration camp during the Holocaust,” the 16th-ranked Schwartzman recently noted. “The coupling that connected two of the train’s cars somehow broke. Part of the train kept going, and the other stayed behind. That allowed everyone trapped inside, including my great-grandfather, to run for their lives. Luckily, he made it without being caught. Just thinking about it makes me realize how lives can change in a heartbeat.

My great grandfather brought his family by boat to Argentina. When they arrived, they spoke Yiddish and no Spanish. My father’s family was from Russia, and they also went to Argentina by boat. It wasn’t easy for all of them to totally change their lives after the war, but they did.”

Schwartzman is excited to finally get to Israel.

“I really want to be there. It is my first time. I have friends there. Many of my friends went there a few weeks ago for the Maccabiah. I know everything about the country but I want to be there just to see myself – some tennis and some good moments, I hope.”

Schwartzman will not have much of an opportunity to travel around Israel as his next tournament following the Watergen Tel Aviv Open will be in Kazakhstan or Japan.

Israel to welcome world’s former No. 1

While the Israel tournament is delighted to welcome a top-ranked Jewish player to the tournament and to Israel, there is added excitement in welcoming world’s former No. 1, Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic has been considered controversial for a number of his views on vaccination. The 35 year old has refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As a result, he has missed such tournaments as the Australian Open and the current US Open. He did play at Wimbledon where he went on to win the tournament.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC is not playing in the ongoing US Open due to his COVID-19 unvaccinated status. But the Serb is slated to play next month in Tel Aviv. (credit: REUTERS)

Djokovic is also no stranger to Israel, having visited in 2006 to receive treatment from physiotherapist Rafi Virshuvski. He has visited on other occasions and was quoted as saying: “I played here with Serbia in the Davis Cup, but we didn’t have time to travel. This time I did some traveling in my three days here, you have an incredible country. I got to know it a little bit now and discovered there is plenty more to see. I was in Jerusalem in all the holy places. It was an amazing experience. As a religious man, a Christian, I feel obligated to come here at least one more time to see and experience the fantastic holy land, to pray and see where Jesus was crucified, where he was, where he was buried.”

“We are happy and excited to host one of the greatest tennis players in history, Novak Djokovic, at the Tel Aviv Watergen Open 2022 tournament and look forward to enjoying his impressive playing skills here in Israel,” added Watergen President Michael Mirilashvili.

One lifelong supporter of Israel tennis recently wrote to Mirilashvili to share concerns about the tournament coinciding with Rosh Hashanah.

“It is disappointing and that is putting it mildly, to realize that the first two dates of the tournament will be played on Rosh Hashanah, September 26 and 27. This not only clearly desecrates the spiritual holiness of these sacred days in the Jewish calendar; it also prevents those of us who are Orthodox and who love tennis, from attending on those two days. And there are certainly some who will boycott the entire tournament because of this religious desecration.”

He suggested that the Israel Tennis Association, the ATP and the CEO of Watergen, consider suspending play on Rosh Hashanah and extend the tournament through October 4.

“As a tennis aficionado, I know that with the commitments of the players and officials such a suspension would not be easy.”

The tournament is scheduled to proceed as planned with play starting on September 25.

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Original Article Published On The JNS

When Diego Schwartzman outlasted Kevin Anderson in Wednesday night’s rain-drenched match—requiring relocation from Louis Armstrong to Arthur Ashe Stadium mid-game—he became the identified Jewish player who is guaranteed to go deepest in this year’s US Open singles draw. The prestigious Grand Slam tennis event is taking place from Aug. 24 to Sept. 12 in New York.

The proudly Jewish Argentinian started his match against the 2017 US Open runner-up at 7:30 p.m. at Louis Armstrong—a stadium with a retractable roof, but with ventilation openings that allowed rain on to the courts—but then was put on hold at 5-5 in the first set. The court was dried and play resumed, even though large puddles continued to form. The match was relocated to Ashe with the 11th-seeded Schwartzman completed his 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-4 win at 1:30 a.m.

Two days earlier, on the sunny first day of the tournament, Schwartzman (#14 in the world) defeated hard-hitting Ričardas Berankis in straight sets 75-63-63. Following the match, Schwarzman put on a mask and patiently signed tennis balls, iPhone cases and even baseballs for dozens of fans—several wearing yarmulkes and many unfurling Argentine flags and chanting “Diego” repeatedly.

Schwartzman, known as “El Peque” for his short stature, is proud of his Jewish heritage. He grew up playing tennis at Club Náutico Hacoaj, the Jewish club in Buenos Aires, and he has spoken about his Polish maternal great-grandfather who crammed with others into a cattle car en route to a concentration camp during the World War II. The coupling broke apart, leaving his car behind at a station as others went to their deaths. He jumped off the train and fled, eventually traveling by ship with his family to Argentina.

Schwartzman reached the US Open quarterfinals in 2017 and 2019. He is now on to the third round, where he will face Alex Molčan of Slovakia.

Denis Shapovalov, #10 in the world and the tournament’s #7 seed, doesn’t openly identify as Jewish, though he was born in Tel Aviv to a Ukrainian Jewish mother and a Russian Orthodox Christian father. The 22-year-old Canadian easily defeated Roberta Carballés Baena 7-6 (9-7), 6-3, 6-0 in a little more than two hours in their second-round match on Thursday night.

Elina Svitolina, May 9, 2019. Credit: si.robi via Wikimedia Commons.

There were four Jewish women in the main draw: Jamie Loeb (#194), from Ossining, N.Y.; Madison Brengle (#77); Camila Giorgi; and unconfirmed Jewish player Elina Svitolina. Loeb, who won three matches in the qualifying tournament to gain a spot in the main draw, lost her first-round match. Brengle, a 31-year-old from Dover, Del., lost her first-round singles and doubles matches. This was her ninth appearance in the US Open.

Camila Giorgi (#36) of Italy lost her first-round match to #12 seed Simona Halep (# 13) of Romania 6-4, 7-6 (3). Giorgi, who has had seven top 20 wins this season and won the National Bank Open this summer, recently confirmed to a reporter that she is proudly Jewish, that her parents are Argentines who immigrated to Italy, and that Anne Frank is her favorite book. “The book moved me because I am Jewish, but also because she was such a good person who saw the good in people,” she said.

World #5 Elina Svitolina has unconfirmed Jewish family history. She has won her first two matches in straight sets and will face Russian Daria Kasatkina in the third round.

Doubling down on Israeli players

Others Jewish players in the main draw include 44-year-old doubles specialist Jonathan Erlich. He and South African Lloyd Harris faced Austrians Oliver Marach and Philipp Oswald on Friday in their first-round match. They advanced to the second round after winning 62, 67 (73), 62  in an hour and 46 minutes. Israeli Dudi Sela, currently #322, was scheduled to compete in the qualifying tournament but reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 before it began.

Jonathan Ehrlich, May 28, 2016, Credit: si.robi via Wikimedia Commons.

Fans keeping score of the numbers—or rather, the percent—of Jews in the men’s and women’s singles draws and in the men’s doubles draw may be pleasantly surprised.

According to most estimates, Jews make up .2 percent of the world’s population. To put it more specifically, there are 14.7 Jews in a world populated by 7.89 billion people. The percentage of Jews in men’s and women’s singles draws (if you consider Shapovalov as well as Svitolina) and men’s doubles draw are way ahead of percentages of Jews in the world.

Jewish players make up two of 128 or 1.56 percent of the men’s draw, 3.12 percent of the women’s draw (four of out of 128) and 1.56 percent of the men’s doubles draw (one team member out of 64 teams).

And while Israel’s one representative in the tournament seems low, especially when compared to such countries as Australia (26 players) and Argentina (20), they only lag slightly behind Finland (3) and Ecuador (2). They are right at home with North African and Mideast neighbors Tunisia (1) and Egypt (1).

Fans of Israel tennis remember not so many years ago when they could regularly see Israelis Shahar Peer, Julia Glushko, David (“Dudi”) Sela and Andy Ram in action at the US Open.

While few such pros or juniors remain in action this year, Hans Felius, the director of Tennis and Social Impact Programs at the ITEC (Israel Tennis Educational Centers), and the professional staff of Israel’s David Squad are systematically training Israeli children with great potential to one day play in the US Open and other major junior and adult tournaments around the world. When their efforts come to fruition, it will surely help the Jewish and Israeli tournament numbers and percentages.

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