Diego Sebastian Schwartzman

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[Damian]

Schwartzman Qualifies For First Time To Complete 2020 Nitto ATP Finals Singles Field

Spoiler:

Two doubles team spots left at season finale

The eight-player singles field for the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals is set. Diego Schwartzman clinched the final spot at the prestigious season-ending tournament, to be held from 15-22 November at The O2 in London, following results at the Rolex Paris Masters on Friday.

The 28-year-old Schwartzman will be the first Argentine player to compete at the Nitto ATP Finals since Juan Martin del Potro in 2013. Schwartzman is the eighth singles player from Argentina to feature in the 50-year history of the tournament, following in the footsteps of 1974 titlist Guillermo Vilas (1974-77, ’79-82), Jose-Luis Clerc (1980-83), Guillermo Coria (2003-05), 2005 champion David Nalbandian (2003, ’05-06), Gaston Gaudio (2004-05), Mariano Puerta (2005) and 2009 runner-up Del Potro (2008-09, ’12-13).

Schwartzman joins fellow debutant Andrey Rublev of Russia, alongside former qualifiers Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Spain’s Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem of Austria, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the 2020 singles field. There will be four players aged 24 and under at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second straight year. The last time this happened in back-to-back years was in 2008-09.

Schwartzman

Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, said: “This has been a season unlike any other and all the players that have qualified for the season finale deserve huge credit. In its 50th anniversary year, the event will once again showcase the top ATP players and will also bring an incredibly successful twelve year stay in London to a close. While we wish our fans could be with us for the final year at The O2, we thank them for their passionate support via broadcast and digital channels, and look forward to a thrilling week of tennis.”

Schwartzman broke into the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time at No. 8 on 12 October after a run to his first Grand Slam championship semi-final at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal). A few weeks earlier, the Buenos Aires resident beat Rafael Nadal en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (l. to Djokovic).

As the first Argentine in the Top 10 since Del Potro in May 2019, Schwartzman also finished runner-up at two ATP 250 events in a reduced 2020 season — at the Cordoba Open (l. to Garin) in February and at the bett1HULKS Championship runner-up in Cologne (l. to Zverev) in October. At 5’7”, Schwartzman is the shortest player in the Top 10 since 5'6" Harold Solomon, whose last week in the Top 10 began on 27 July 1981.

With Paris concluding this weekend and one additional week of the regular season left in Sofia, six of the eight doubles team spots at the Nitto ATP Finals have been confirmed. Australian Open titlists Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, US Open champions Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares, Roland Garros winners Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic, and John Peers and Michael Venus have already secured their places at The O2 in London.

2020 DRAW:
The draw for the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals will take place on Thursday, 12 November. Further details will be published in due course.

In line with UK Government guidance, the 2020 season finale will be contested behind closed doors due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nitto ATP Finals, featuring the best eight singles players and doubles teams, has been held in London since 2009 and has successfully established itself as one of the major annual sporting events worldwide. The tournament is broadcast in more than 180 territories with global viewership reaching an average of 95 million each year. The event will be held in Turin, Italy, from 2021-2025.

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Czas na Diego na WTF.

[arti]

[Damian]

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[arti]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Diego Schwartzman is a football fanatic who once dreamed of emulating Maradona and a pal of Juventus star Paulo Dybala, but now the Argentine tennis ace nicknamed 'Shorty' has hit the big time in London

Spoiler:

The Argentine is a surprise qualifier at the ATP Finals in London
He finds himself among the world's top eight tennis players after a late surge
Football legend and tennis fan Maradona is convalescing following brain surgery
By MIKE DICKSON FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 22:30 GMT, 11 November 2020 | UPDATED: 23:38 GMT, 11 November 2020

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Not many people get to become friends with the sporting idol they were named after, but that is one distinction enjoyed by Diego Schwartzman.

The most unexpected qualifier for the eight-man field at the ATP Finals in London next week is friends with Maradona, a sometime visitor to the event which will be hosted by the O2 Arena for the last time.

The Argentinian football great, a noted tennis devotee, is convalescing after brain surgery. His compatriot, the only non-European in the singles field, will have to play without his support or anyone else's, the tournament being held behind closed doors.

Diego Schwartzman finds himself among the world's top eight tennis players after a late surge +5
Diego Schwartzman finds himself among the world's top eight tennis players after a late surge

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Jack Crawford believes the idea of playing for a London franchise would be 'awesome' but is also realistic.

'I have met him quite a lot, in the Davis Cup, at the World Cup in Russia and we talk a lot over social media,' says Schwartzman. 'He is not in his best moment, trying to be healthy again. I think the surgery went well and he's trying to recover.'



He and Maradona share a diminutive stature. The tennis player's height of 5' 7' meant that, when he reached the last four of the French Open last month, he was the smallest Grand Slam semi-finalist in 40 years.

Schwartzman is a football fanatic who once dreamed of emulating Maradona by playing for Boca Juniors, but instead finds himself among the world's top eight tennis players after a late surge in this strange season.

Like everything in his career it is a tribute to his persistence. His story is one of fighting to overcome the odds, whether it be his lack of inches or financial constraints as a junior player, but the struggle is nothing new to his family lineage.

Football legend and tennis fan Diego Maradona is convalescing following brain surgery +5
Football legend and tennis fan Diego Maradona is convalescing following brain surgery

Among his close friends is Paulo Dybala (right), striker with Turin-based Juventus +5
Among his close friends is Paulo Dybala (right), striker with Turin-based Juventus

His mother's family are of Polish Jewish heritage, and ended up in Argentina as refugees during the second world war. His great-grandfather had been put on train to a concentration camp, but he escaped when the carriage he was in became uncoupled, eventually taking a boat to South America.

This makes the challenges the family encountered in trying to encourage his junior tennis career look trivial, although they were significant in their own way.

Having shown unusual promise when learning the game at Club Nautico Hacoaj, a Jewish sports club in Buenos Aires, money was always a problem as his father's business had crashed.

'In the Nineties he had the copyright to sell merchandise in Argentina from Batman and other superheroes and was doing well, but then they stopped that and it went down and down and he lost everything,' says Schwartzman.

The family began making jewellery and would sell bracelets at tournaments he was playing in to try and finance his fledgling career.

Schwartzman lost to champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals at the French Open +5
Schwartzman lost to champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals at the French Open

'They had to try everything because we didn't have a lot of money, my tennis cost a lot and we had to pay for it, all the travelling.

'I think it is why a lot of Argentinian players are tough and determined, and I have a strong mind. It is not easy making it as a player from South America because we are so far from anywhere and you have to be away all the time. Travel is expensive and the economy has not been good there for a long time.'

Yet he has battled his way to one of the coveted places at the 02, before the event moves to Turin next year.

If Schwartzman qualifies next time round he should have at least one big-time supporter from the world of football as among his close friends is Paulo Dybala, striker with Turin-based Juventus. During the Covid lockdown earlier this year, the two of them organised a charity celebrity FIFA 2020 tournament which raised nearly $300,000 for the Argentinian Red Cross.

'We became friends a few years ago when I was in Rome for the Italian Open and he was playing in final of the Italian Cup at the Olympic stadium, next to the Foro Italico.

'He got me tickets for the match. I've stayed at his home and this year we did the charity thing together. It was our idea to raise money for the people in Argentina who had problems because of Covid.'

The Argentine is a surprise qualifier for the eight-man field at the ATP Finals in London +5
The Argentine is a surprise qualifier for the eight-man field at the ATP Finals in London

Eleven years ago, when the ATP Finals began its highly successful run at the 02, gentle giant Juan Martin Del Potro was the beaten finalist. US Open champion at 20, he is the sport's great lost talent due to persistent injuries.

The capital now bids farewell to the year-end finals with an Argentinian battler in the field who stands nearly a foot shorter and is nicknamed El Peque – 'Shorty.'

Schwartzman actually has more in common with British number one Dan Evans, another of smaller stature who has to punch above his height.

'I love how Dan plays, we have some things together, competing hard for everything. It is not like we are going to hit two aces in every game, so we have to work the point hard to win it.'

The Argentinian, who lost to champion Rafael Nadal in the semis of Paris, darts around the court and makes up for a lack of inches with an outstanding return of serve and natural power on his groundstrokes. Like Nadal he has become a deceptively good player up at the net, but his biggest strength is the size of his heart.


British tennis will lose £30million in revenue this year after Covid wiped out its major events. The 40 per cent loss of Lawn Tennis Association income will force a cost-cutting programme, with an eye on how much can be salvaged from this year's Wimbledon.

The All England Club is finalising its insurance claim for the cancellation of this year's Championships. They hope its yearly payout to the LTA will only suffer a minor hit. The LTA have taken out a £15m overdraft facility against their financial reserves over concerns for next summer.

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[Damian]

Group Envy: Diego Braces For Tough Debut

Spoiler:

Argentine starts Nitto ATP Finals campaign against Djokovic

When Nitto ATP Finals debutant Diego Schwartzman was recently asked to name the players he would want in his ideal London group, the Argentine was just wishing for anyone who didn’t like an indoor hard-court.

That didn’t quite play out according to plan.

“When I saw the draw being made, my friends started poking fun at me,” Schwartzman said with a wry smile at his pre-tournament press conference. “And the media did as well, because I had wished for the other group and ended up in this one.”

Indeed, if there was any group of players with the weapons and qualifications to make Schwartzman sweat, they all landed Group Tokyo 1970, which is packed with in-form indoor hard-court heavyweights like Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, along with arguably the toughest opponent of all: top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who is going for a record-tying sixth Nitto ATP Finals trophy.

You May Also Like: Groups Are Set For 2020 Nitto ATP Finals
“They like more indoors than the other group, so it’s going to be difficult,” Schwartzman acknowledged. “They’re great servers, in addition to being solid from the baseline and they move very well... But we all know that either group would be really tough, with great players who have done well here and won titles. So any opponent in either group was going to be difficult.”

Without the 'draw gods' on his side, Schwartzman will be looking to make his own luck in London from his first match, which pits him against Djokovic in his group debut on Monday. The current World No. 9 is hoping to claim his first victory in six matches against the Serbian player.

“Against Nole, you have to always play your 100%. It’s hard to think of something else, or try to be tactically better than him, or try to do winners,” he said. “You just have to walk on court trying to play your 100%, and maybe if he’s not in his best day, you’re going to have a few opportunities.

“But always the first match is difficult for every single player, so I hope to have opportunities in the match and for sure I’m going to try to take them.”

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Thankfully for Schwartzman, he’s already in ‘finals mode’ as he relishes the hush of London’s O2 Arena in his first Nitto ATP Finals appearance: lacking the dozens of fellow ATP players and coaches that accompany most ATP events, Schwartzman said, this tournament already feels like a major heading into finals weekend.

“When you first arrive to many tournaments, it’s full of people - difficult to practise, difficult to do everything,” Schwartzman reflected. “And here, we have a lot of facilities and it's [rare] to see other players, you know?

“That’s a really good feeling, because when you arrive to a tournament you’re thinking, ‘Okay, I want to be here almost alone, playing in the weekend [at the end of the tournament.]’ So that’s the first feeling that we felt, with my team.”

It’s a feeling Schwartzman will be hoping to recapture as he seeks his fourth career ATP Tour trophy - and the biggest of his career to date. But reaching new heights has been a theme this season for the Argentine, from achieving a new career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 8, to reaching three ATP finals in a single season for the first time, including his first ATP Masters 1000 in Rome.

“[Usually] at this time, I was always on holidays, and now I’m practising more than ever trying to beat the best guys on tour,” he said. “So I’m very excited, I’m trying to enjoy every single moment here, but also I’m trying to work really hard. I have the opportunity to continue doing a good season.”

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[Kamileki]

[arti]

Schwartzman Shining: The last player to qualify for this year’s season finale was Diego Schwartzman, who accomplished the feat during the Rolex Paris Masters. The Argentine, who is making his tournament debut, is the first South American to compete in the event since Juan Martin del Potro in 2013. According to Infosys ATP Scores & Stats, Schwartzman ranks second on the ATP Tour in return games won this year (36.38%). He only trails the top player in that category, Rafael Nadal, by one-hundredth of a percentage point (36.39%).

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nitto-a ... ing-report

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[Damian]

Diego: 'Nobody Handed Me A Spot Here, I Earned It'

Spoiler:

Argentine fell in straight sets in Group Tokyo 1970 debut
For the first three games of his Nitto ATP Finals debut, Diego Schwartzman was in the lead against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic - but it all fell apart quickly after the five-time champion sank his teeth into the match.

Even half an hour after the match, Schwartzman sounded equal parts frustrated and baffled as he reflected on a lopsided 6-3, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Djokovic, who claimed 11 of the next 14 games after being down a break.

“I feel that maybe the score is misleading, or maybe not. I didn’t feel like I played such a terrible match for the score to be 6-3, 6-2,” Schwartzman said. “But at the same time, I felt like I was pretty far behind the whole time, except for at the start of the first set. So there are things to improve, there are things I did well and that I tried today.

“But just coming off of the court, I have a strange feeling because I feel that I didn’t do a lot of things wrong, and at some moments I played very well. But I was outplayed. I don’t know what more I could have done, or what other risks I should have taken, or what higher level I could have found.”

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Schwartzman took advantage of a nervy start from Djokovic, who is going for a record-equalling sixth Nitto ATP Finals trophy. After a spate of games littered with uncharacteristic double faults and unforced errors coming off the Serb’s racquet, Schwartzman surged ahead a 2-1 lead.

He stayed toe-to-toe with the top seed even as Djokovic broke straight back, and Schwartzman increasingly struggled to close out games as his opponent settled into the match.

“You feel that you’re playing well, and then game by game as the match goes on, it starts to get harder. And then suddenly you’re losing the match,” Schwartzman said, describing an experience many of Djokovic’s defeated opponents can likely relate to.

“At the towel, you try to think about what you can improve, or what you’re doing wrong… and I don’t know that I was doing a lot wrong. I don’t know if he was playing that great, either, but the games started slipping away from me after 3-3.”

You May Also Like: Djokovic Starts Strong, Downs Schwartzman In London
Despite the tough debut, Schwartzman assured he’s determined to look ahead to the rest of his round robin clashes and keep making the best of his first Nitto ATP Finals experience.

“I’ve really been enjoying the experience and training really hard because nobody handed me a spot here, I earned it tournament by tournament,” Schwartzman said. “At this stage, I know I need to be at the highest level, so I’ve been training hard and I have almost my entire team with me here these past few days.

“But without a doubt I’m really enjoying my time here, and enjoying this spot that I earned. I watched all of yesterday’s matches and I enjoyed the spectacle of it and all the global buzz that generates around each match.”

There is still a chance for redemption as round robin action continues at the Nitto ATP Finals: Schwartzman will continue his Group Tokyo 1970 challenge against Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev.

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Żarłok.