Diego Schwartzman is not ready to ride off into the sunset just yet.
The 32-year-old announced he will retire from tennis after competing in front of his home fans at the Argentina Open.
The former top 10 player had not won a match on tour since September 2023 and he faced the tricky task of defeating the big-serving Nicolas Jarry.
Following a two-hour and 52-minute battle, it was Schwartzman who overcame the odds to continue his career for at least one more match.
Diego Schwartzman admits he was surprised by his Argentina Open first round victory
Diego Schwartzman stayed solid as he withstood the heavy weight of shot from the racket of Nicolas Jarry.
The Chilean was very inconsistent as he registered an alarming 79 unforced errors in the 6-7(10), 6-4, 3-6 defeat.
Schwartzman took full advantage as he recorded his first victory in 17 months and received a thunderous ovation from the home crowd.
Post-match, the former French Open semi-finalist admitted he exceeded his expectations for what could have been the final match of his career.
“I expected to just lose to be honest. After many months without playing, I played last week and played great tennis. But I didn’t expect to win,” Schwartzman said.
“I played a great match. I played good points. He played a bit nervous, more than usual. I took the chance in the 3rd.
“I was expecting after the match to cry a little bit and be ready for emotion, and not for the win. Now I have to recover and see how I do in the next round.”
Diego Schwartzman lives to fight another day
Following an emotional win, Schwartzman claimed his 17th match win at the Argentina Open.
The 2021 champion, who has the most victories at the tournament of any player in the draw, will take on Spain’s Pedro Martínez in the second round of the Argentina Open.
After losing the first set without winning a game against Damir Džumhur, the Spaniard completed a 0-6, 6-2, 7-6 victory.
The pair have played on just one previous occasion, and Schwartzman won that encounter at the 2022 Rio Open 6-1, 6-1.
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