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
‘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
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
‘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
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.
The Nitto ATP Finals are running a prize draw offering unique prizes to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Find out more at Givergy.UK/NittoATPFinals
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