Former world number 8, Diego Schwartzman, has announced his intention to retire from tennis at the 2025 Argentina Open.
Schwartzman will best be remembered as one of the shortest players who made it to the Top 10 on the ATP Tour in recent years. Standing at about 5'7" (170 cm), Schwartzman was mostly the shorter player on the court but not the worse.
He had some brilliant moments over the years, peaking at number 8 in October 2020. He's won four trophies so far in his career and contested 14 Tour-level finals overall.
He played in one ATP Masters 1000 final and made some deep runs on the Grand Slam level. His best at the Australian Open was a fourth round, a semi-final at Roland Garros, a third round at Wimbledon, and a quarter-final at the US Open.
His retirement decision comes after a really long struggle with his form. He finished 16-29 last year and he's only 5-11 so far this year. With that, he made the decision which he had hinted at only a few days before.
The Argentinian announced the decision on social media, with a lengthy statement, summarizing his incredible tennis journey, which will come to an end at the 2025 Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.
"What a trip! How many moments I never imagined, how many anecdotes I never dreamed, how many people I met that helped me grow, that taught me so much, that made me a player and a much better person than anyone ever thought I would be including myself."
"Every corner of the court, every second training, every point competing, every moment I was immensely happy. I lived it so intensely that today it's hard for me to keep up. All those beautiful moments have become something that carries weight today and I find it hard to keep enjoying fully."
"On one hand, leaving a life that gave me so much is a too difficult decision, but on the other hand, how happy I was playing tennis drives me to keep wanting to keep the smile on and off the court as I always did. However, today that smile is sometimes difficult for me to find."
"Inside me, a competitive animal prevents me from enjoying, playing and traveling like I used to. I want my last tournaments to be my own decision. Let this 2024 be that way, hopefully getting the opportunity to compete in the tournaments I enjoy the most. And in 2025, in Argentina, to be able to have my final moment, the most beautiful closure I can imagine."