Diego Schwartzmann shares hilarious story of Roger Federer’s playful side: “By far the most mischievous guy”

Former world No. 8 Diego Schwartzman shared how he got to know the playful side of Roger Federer in a fun interview in Argentina. The former French Open semifinalist also recalled his victory over Rafael Nadal while preparing for his upcoming retirement at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.

Schwartzman struggled with injuries in recent years, which prevented him from performing at the level of his peak years, where he faced the Big-3 on multiple occasions, enduring painful defeats.

Schwartzman recalls fun moments with Federer

Despite his shorter stature at 5’7’’ (1.70 meters), the Argentine is bidding farewell to a remarkable career as a top-10 player. Schwartzman ends his career with four titles and ten finals—one of them at the Rome Open, where he defeated Nadal. He also reached the semifinals of Roland Garros and made four appearances in Grand Slam quarterfinals.

Read also

"He's probably going to judge me" - Katie Boulter recalls facing Roger Federer at Hopman Cup

As he prepares for his retirement in two months at his home tournament, the ATP 250 Buenos Aires Open, Schwartzman took part in a fun interview on the Argentine TV show “La Noche Perfecta” (Perfect Night), where he spoke about his relationship with the 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. “Are you friends with Federer? More or less?” asked the presenter.

“I get along with him, but we’re not friends,” Schwartzman replied.

“Is it true that he’s more mischievous than he seems?”

“Much more,” said the former world No. 8. “He’s the opposite of what people think, by far the most mischievous.”

“Federer? Swiss, serious, and all that, he doesn’t sweat,” added presenter Sebastián Wainraich.

“All day,” Schwartzman insisted. “Whatever you imagine, but the biggest ‘nonsense,’ when you’re training, the times you have to share a training session, he’s always hitting balls at 150 km/h (93 miles per hour) at his team, nonstop. If they’re not paying attention, it hits them in the chest.”

“And you think, ‘What’s going on?’ and he bursts out laughing. He keeps hitting his team, pulling his pants down, all the nonsense we do (as Argentinians), I swear,” Schwartzman added.

Read also

The 2024 tennis season's biggest retirements: Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Angelique Kerber and more

Schwartzman’s famous victory over Nadal

‘Peque’ Schwartzman, a clay specialist, faced Rafael Nadal multiple times on the ATP Tour, with Nadal winning 11 of their encounters and Schwartzman winning just once. Five of those matches were in Grand Slam tournaments, where the Spaniard halted some of Schwartzman’s most important streaks.

Nadal defeated him at the 2015 US Open (second round) and 2018 Australian Open (fourth round). However, the most painful losses came later: US Open quarterfinals (2019), Roland Garros semifinals (2020), and US Open quarterfinals (2021). Schwartzman’s lone victory over Nadal came at the Rome Open (a month before their encounter at Philippe Chatrier).

Read also

Diego Schwartzman becomes victim of terrifying car robbery in Argentina

On that occasion, Schwartzman ended a nine-match losing streak to Nadal, securing a straight-set win (6-2, 7-5) that propelled him into the semifinals. After defeating Denis Shapovalov in the semis, he faced Novak Djokovic in the final, who claimed his fifth title in Rome.

“When I beat Nadal in Rome, it felt like my career was defined by that moment. On the contrary, I was very consistent for a long time, and now people only remember that match. ‘You beat Nadal in Rome.’”

Read also

“I don’t care that much about criticism if I achieved my goal here”: Rafael Nadal defends Saudi Ambassador role

“The most special part of that year was that it was during the full pandemic, so there was no one in the stadium. It was special because I was experiencing the best moment of my career, but at the same time, you felt like if you touched something (tapping the table), you could catch the virus, and the next day you could be out.”

“I think in that sense, having fewer people actually helped me, because sometimes those ‘beasts’ wake up with the crowd and want to put on more of a show, and you get more tense. With less noise, everything went more unnoticed.”

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Unlock your ultimate tennis experience—subscribe today for exclusive access to top stories.

Subscribe