Schwartzman: "Honestly, I was hoping to lose today"

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A first-round match of the ATP 250 Buenos Aires captivated the entire country this Wednesday with the potential withdrawal of Diego Schwartzman, blocked by himself after his great three-set victory against Nicolás Jarry. His first official triumph since last August extends the Argentine's professional career for another day, a reason to be super happy and proud of the performance displayed on the court. Surely the organization had a thousand stories prepared to honor 'Peque' at this time, but they will have to set them aside for at least 24 hours.

"I have no idea what just happened, the truth is I stepped onto the court thinking I was going to lose, honestly," confessed the local tennis player in an interview with Tennis TV right after the match ended. "I've been playing with pain for a long time, a long time without winning a match, last week I suffered a lot losing in the Rosario Challenger, but the final was against a great champion like Camilo Ugo Carabelli, who ended up lifting the title. But yes, the truth is that my expectation for today was to lose. I managed to play a great match, made some good points, and he seemed a bit nervous, or at least more nervous than usual. Once we reached the third set, I knew I would have my chances," evaluated the Buenos Aires native still with adrenaline running high.

A significant victory for Diego, able to withstand 2 hours and 53 minutes on the court against a top 40 like the Chilean, a specialist in these conditions and on this South American tour. How did he do it? There is no technical explanation, that fighting spirit of the great warriors emerged, that of a man obsessed with bidding farewell to this sport in the noblest and fairest way possible. That is, competing as he always has during these last fifteen seasons. Since October 2023, Schwartzman had not won a match in an ATP main draw, a gap so extensive that many of us thought it would never be closed. Today, we finally have the answer.

TOMORROW, AGAINST PEDRO MARTÍNEZ

"Honestly, I had planned to be crying at this moment just after the match, deeply touched by emotion, but crying because of having lost, a very different reason than the current one," commented the South American in that same interview, continuously conveyed by that incredulous smile that reveals the slim chances he even gave himself before facing the Chilean today. "Now, the horizon has completely changed, it's time for me to rest, time to recover physically and start thinking about the next round," concluded a Schwartzman who tomorrow in the Round of 16 will face the Spanish Pedro Martinez, whom he only faced once, in the round of 16 of the 2022 Rio ATP event. And what happened there? The Argentine won.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Schwartzman: “Sinceramente, esperaba perder hoy”