Diego Schwartzman and Dominic Thiem left Roland Garros for the final time this week and some comments from Tim Henman in 2020 are now extremely poignant.
Schwartzman followed Thiem in failing to qualify for the main draw at the French Open this week.
The Argentine was visibly distraught on the court after his 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 defeat to Frenchman Quentin Halys on Wednesday.
Much like Thiem the day before, he was given a hero’s reception on Court Suzanne Lenglen and it all got a bit much for the 31-year-old.
It’s quite fitting that Thiem and Schwartzman are sailing off into the sunset at the same time.
The pair were subject of some intriguing comments from Henman following an epic game between the pair at Roland Garros in 2020.
- READ MORE: Roland Garros draw announced
What Tim Henman said about Dominic Schwartzman and Dominic Thiem in 2020
The final in 2020 might have been a routine win for Rafael Nadal but in the quarter-final a cracking contest took place.
Schwartzman and Thiem reached the quarter-final where they met each other and served up a five-set classic.
It was the Argentine who prevailed coming through 7-6, 5-7, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 in a five-set thriller in Paris.
Henman couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed and lauded the two players for what they produced during the match.
He told Eurosport: “This is a tribute to tennis.
“The match had everything. It was difficult for both of them to serve it out, what I was most enthusiastic about though was that they kept fighting, they kept trying to find solutions despite the windy conditions and heavy balls. It has everything.
“I have to say that Thiem looked tired from the beginning of the match. I think Schwartzman played the better match tactically.
“For me, it’s the biggest win for Diego Schwartzman when you look at the context of a quarter-final of a Grand Slam.”
Schwartzman can look back on strong career
At 31, the player could probably still be doing a job on the professional tour – much like Thiem.
However, he’s decided to call things quits and he can look back on a very strong career as a professional player.
It’s a shame that he didn’t qualify for the main draw here at Roland Garros this time.
His best run came when Henman had praised him for his win over Thiem – although he did lose in the next round to Nadal.
Schwartzman won four career titles during his career and was as high as number eight in the world back in 2020.
He bows out as the 142nd-ranked player and perhaps the constant qualifiers and lesser ATP events have simply taken its toll on him.
Schwartzman can look back on a decent – if unspectacular – career and these comments from Henman were a nice touch back in 2020.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
