Diego Schwartzman discussed what he has seen change in men’s tennis throughout his career.
The 32-year-old will bid farewell to professional tennis in February 2025 after a career which spanned 15 years.
The Argentine announced earlier this year that he was winding down his career in which he won four titles and entered the world’s top 10.
Now with his physical abilities and mental strength on the decline, the 2020 French Open semi-finalist will soon hang up his racket after an impressive career.
What has Diego Schwartzman seen change in men’s tennis over the last 15 years?
Schwartzman turned pro in 2010 and joined the ATP Tour with the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at their peak.
For most of his career, those players dominated men’s tennis and their epic matches against one another revolutionised the sport.
As Schwartzman prepares to retire from tennis early next year, there are new faces taking control at the top of the game, as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominated 2024.
The foundation of their games is their elite movement and power, which Schwartzman says has increased across the tour significantly over the years.
“I think the difference from 2010 to now is how they move. It’s crazy these guys, how they move,” he told the ‘Nothing Major’ podcast.
“Because before if you have a huge serve or forehand, okay but if these guys run or you move these guys, it’s done. But nowadays no. It’s so difficult to play these guys. Power is increasing. Movement is much better.
“All around the world, talking about sport, this is happening. Power and everything is increasing. But tennis for me, the huge change, it was the movement of the tour guys.”
How many matches has Diego Schwartzman won in his career?
Over the course of his professional tennis career, Schwartzman has won 250 tour-level matches. Some of his biggest victories include defeating Nadal at the Rome Masters in 2020 and an epic five-set win over Dominic Thiem in that year’s French Open quarter-finals.
But he has failed to win a main draw match in 2024 and he is now preparing to say an emotional goodbye to the sport in front of his home fans in Argentina.
“How many moments I never imagined, how many anecdotes I never dreamed of, how many people I met who helped me grow, who taught me so much, who made me a much better player and person than anyone ever thought I would be, including me,” Schwartzman wrote at the time of his retirement announcement.
“Every corner of the court, every second training, every point competing, every moment I was immensely happy. I lived it with such intensity that today it is difficult for me to maintain it.”
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