Argentinian tennis player Diego Schwartzman, a former world No. 8, is best known in the tennis world as a clay court specialist. The diminutive player has been on the cusp of the top-10 in the ATP rankings ever since securing his first ATP title in 2016. His best-ever grand slam performance came in the 2020 Roland Garros, where he reached the semifinals.
Over the years, Diego has defeated many elite professional stars. In one event in 2018, he came close to triumphing over Rafael Nadal. A famous soccer star and friend of Diego happened to watch the match and shared his opinions later
Diego Schwartzman said Lionel Messi lamented his French Open loss
In 2018, Diego Schwartzman and Rafael Nadal engaged in a compelling rivalry that commenced at the Australian Open. Despite having a 0-3 record in their head-to-head matches, Diego put on a valiant display and clinched the second set in a tiebreaker. Nevertheless, he ultimately lost the match in four sets.
The duo crossed paths once again in the 2018 French Open quarterfinals, following Diego’s impressive run that had seen him drop only two sets before their encounter. A fired-up Schwartzman launched into the match, securing the first set. He led 3-1 with a breakpoint opportunity when rain interrupted the match, leading to a suspension.
Regrettably for Diego Schwartzman, he couldn’t regain his momentum when the match resumed the next day. World No. 1 Nadal claimed the next three sets to seal the victory and advance to the semifinals. This heart-wrenching loss for Schwartzman was witnessed by fellow Argentinian and football star Lionel Messi, whom Diego had met earlier in 2018.
Diego had the opportunity to meet Messi before the striker departed with the national team to participate in the 2018 Football World Cup in Russia. Diego fondly recalls their candid conversations, during which the legendary soccer star commented that Rafael Nadal was ‘lucky’ in his victory.
In an interview organised by UTS, Diego Schwartzman sat down with fellow tennis stars like Christopher Eubanks and Andrey Rublev, where he shared anecdotes on his meeting with Lionel Messi. Their initial meeting sparked a new friendship between the two and the pair would meet again in the coming years.
Diego Schwartzman and Lionel Messi meet in the US
Diego Schwartzman took to Instagram in July to share a picture with Lionel Messi. In the photo, Diego has a look of awe in his eyes as he stands next to a smiling Messi. The caption of the image is in Spanish.
Diego had just left London, where he lost to Jannik Sinner in the second round of Wimbledon, and had reached Washington D.C. in America for the Citi Open. Lionel Messi had also made headlines by moving to the United States to play for the MLS team Inter Miami in a high-profile transfer.
It was thus a perfect scenario for the two Argentinian sportsmen to catch up on lost time and share their journey to America with laughter and meaningful conversations. In the previous interview, Diego Schwartzman had been heard laughing about his meeting with a football legend like Messi, who is a legend in the football world. Even the fact that Messi knew him had made Diego elated.
The star-struck 5.8 ft Schwartzman had also taken time out to witness Messi weave his magic on the football field in Miami, who might receive this year’s MLS newcomer of the year.
What are your opinions on the friendship between Diego and Messi, which is a multi-sport camradarie? Let us know in the comments section below.
