Diego Schwartzman made a breakthrough run in 2020, reaching his first Major semi-final, cracking the top-10 and securing the ATP Finals berth. The only things that the Argentine missed in the season behind us were the ATP titles, losing three finals and hoping to change that in the early stages of 2021.

Diego grabbed only four victories in his opening three tournaments before finding the form in his hometown of Buenos Aires, winning four matches in straight sets to lift the first ATP trophy since Los Cabos 2019. Schwartzman said that the title in front of the home fans means a lot to him, as he has been visiting the event since he was a child.

Also, the Argentine confirmed that Roland Garros is his favorite tournament, playing well in Paris but not feeling ready to chase the title as long as Rafael Nadal is active. Last October, Diego defeated Dominic Thiem in an epic Roland Garros quarter-final to enter the final four, setting the clash against the clay king Nadal.

Rafa prevailed 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 in over three hours, struggling a bit in the third set’s closing stages but winning the tie break 7-0 to advance into the title clash.

“I spent years of my childhood sneaking in to watch the Buenos Aires tournament because I didn’t have money.

My dad would always do something so that I could get in, sometimes I would go with my rackets to train, and I would stay all day watching the tournament. To have been able to win this tournament is a dream come true. My favorite tournament is Roland Garros, I’ve had some good results there, but I find it difficult to win as long as Rafa lives.

Sometimes I watch Rafa videos, and it seems to me that he has weaknesses and that I can beat him. But you see him training; he is a beast on the practice court. You are scared to see him in practice, as his ball doubles yours.

The most incredible thing is to know how the three of them want to continue to improve; they work to reinvent themselves and incorporate new things into their tennis. Nadal’s Parisian record is a good thing for tennis; I see him dominating Roland Garros for a couple of more years,” Diego Schwartzman said.